The Animals of Purgatory
by Haitus80
Summary: Devolution. When you are the only two left standing, how quickly will your humanity slip away? After losing Alexandria, and their entire group, can Daryl and Carol really cling to the shreds of sanity and humanity they have left? Or will they realize that the animals inside are too strong to ignore? And if those animals are allowed to feed, will the world be the same?
1. Chapter 1

**This idea was conceived during one of my many discussions with Halohunter89 about people assuming that you can't really grow as a writer if you don't deviate from one ship. This is a popular belief that I roll my eyes at. No matter what our preference is when it comes to shipping, these character aren't ours. Someone else created them and the characters are borrowed. To me, that means that, as a writer, that will only ever ship Caryl, I** ** _have_** **to keep you guys on your toes by coming up with stories that grab you from the get go. I try really hard to come up with plots that push these characters, and keep you coming back. At the end of the day, it's all about the story being told. Not the characters in the stories, because these characters are not ours, even though we love them.**

 **With that said, this story isn't like my other ones. It's different. It isn't a terribly long story but I'm hoping that all of you that give it half a shot will like it.**

 **Chapter One**

She was falling and this time she wasn't getting back up. The wet earth was rushing towards her face and she was so tired, so very tired, that she almost welcomed it. The rain was a steady drizzle and had been for days but still, if he would just let her lie down, just for a few seconds, she would sleep.

No, that wasn't true. If he would let her lie down she wouldn't sleep. She would die.

"No!" He growled into her ear as he hauled her back up. Despite the rain she could smell the blood. Blood that was coming from her. "Move. Just move. Please move-" His voice, tortured, feverish, higher pitched than it should have been.

She wanted to tell him that this was it. She wanted to tell him that it was over. They had fought and they had succeeded so many times but it was time to give up. She had no more fight in her. He had no more fight in him. God, had they fought though. But it was all for nothing. The others... all gone. No one survived. Only the two of them. And soon, very soon, they too would fall.

"Let. Go." Was that her? It didn't sound like her voice but she felt the words leave her parched throat. It had to have been her because there was no one else.

"No," he growled, his grip on her arm was punishing.

"They're all dead."

"You ain't."

"Not yet." But soon. She could feel it. Something grabbed the back of her shirt, pulling her out of his grip. She landed hard on her back and managed to blink enough rain out of her eyes to see the macabre face, teeth snapping only inches from her. Suddenly it was gone and she could see the sky through the canopy of trees overhead. It was gray, darker around the edges but she had enough wits about her to know that it was actually her vision growing darker, not the sky.

"Get up!" He nearly screamed. There was no reason to be quiet. They were everywhere.

"Just stop," she muttered, her eyes drifting closed.

 _"It isn't time, mama."_

Carol hadn't realized that her eyes had drifted closed until she was opening them, a small smile on her face at the sound of that voice. She had missed it so much.

"Get up," Daryl's voice was low now, no longer forceful.

 _"He needs you. Get up."_ Her daughters voice sounded as desperate as Daryl's.

She raised her head and saw him. He was on his knees next to her, his head hung, his shoulders hunched. She couldn't see his face. She was so tired. Why couldn't she be done? Why did she still have to try to make it when lying here would be so much easier.

 _"Because as long as he's breathing, you need to try. You can't leave him alone out here. You're stronger than that. Get up."_

She took in a shaky breath and sat up. A few feet away, right behind him, another walker was coming. She had watched her group fall days ago. She had watched them all die. She wouldn't watch him... She went for the knife at her hip, made it to her knees just as the thing was about to go in for the kill. Adrenalin had her pushing forward, forcing her to her feet. Right before it had a chance to sink it's teeth into his shoulder, she rammed the knife through it's head.

He looked up, eyes glazed over with grief but when they met hers she saw them flash, the grief morphing into grim determination. He pushed himself up off the ground, going for her hand at the same time she went for his. "We can do this," she said breathlessly, even though she didn't believe her own words.

He looked down at where the glass from the window had sliced into her body, his eyes going dark. She knew what he was looking at but she couldn't think of that right now. The cut had opened up and was bleeding freely again. She had to think about getting away. She could hear them now. They were closer than they were even a minute ago. Her legs started moving without her telling them too and he took off like a shot, his longer legs putting more ground between them and the walkers than hers could but he didn't let go. He refused to let go. If she stopped, he would die with her. If she had to keep breathing to keep him alive then she would.

So again, they ran away from the herd that had been pursuing them relentlessly. She was still losing blood. She could feel it. The air was cold, the rain was cold, her skin was cold, but the blood that still seemed to pour from her wound felt hot. She could have been bit. She wasn't sure anymore. She didn't feel pain. Only the warmth of the blood and the warmth from his hand, gripping her own like both their lives depended on it.

~H~

Just a little bit further and they'd be safe. That's what he had been telling himself for hours. He had been sure that Carol had finally given up but then something had happened and she had decided that it wasn't over. Not yet anyway. If she gave up, he was giving up with her. He had watched them all fall, the whole group. The whole town, but he had gotten away. He had managed to save her. Now it seemed like the only life left in the world was in her and if she was gone, it was all over. There would be no point. As long as she was breathing, he would fight.

They broke through the trees and he heard a sob escape her. There ahead was a boarded up farm house. It was decrepit looking but at the moment it looked like a fortress. If they could make it then they had a chance. _She_ would have a chance. He could stop the bleeding. He could stitch the wounds if they needed it. He could save her if only they could stop running.

That was when the ground fell out from under them. Neither had seen the ravine. Both had been staring at the possibility of safety.

Neither of them saw it since the grass was so overgrown but they landed in three feet of dirty rushing water ten feet down. He cursed and felt her hand slip away. The water wasn't deep but it was swift, nearly knocking his own feet out from under him and he wasn't even as weak as she was. She was going under and it took every ounce of his strength to pull her head above water. He gauged the distance to the other end. He had about fifteen feet. Only fifteen feet and then another ten feet to try to climb.

He looked down and she was struggling to stay upright. He wasn't worried too much about the blood loss. Or he wouldn't, if they weren't starving. He was worried about the wounds she had suffered getting infected and he was worried that he hadn't made it to her in time. He still didn't know if she had been bitten when she had fallen earlier.

When she met his eyes he saw her gauge the distance. The rain picked up just then and he glanced behind him just as the first walker came tumbling down the ravine. He struggled to hold her upright as he made his slow way across but soon he stumbled. The walkers were being washed downstream as soon as they hit the water so that was one less worry but it was raising quickly and going against the current while trying to hold on to her was proving to be too much.

He felt her slipping out of his grip. Her eyes were closed and she was dead weight. His heart stuttered and then pounded so hard against his rib cage that he was sure it would bruise him. He had to get her out. He couldn't lose her. It was the first thought he had had when Alexandria had been overrun and all hell had broken loose and it would be the last thought he would ever have.

He couldn't lose her.

He got a few feet and then he stumbled. She went under, the current pulling her out of his grip. He heard a sound erupting from him. It didn't even sound human as he lunged for her, missed and then lunged again, managing to get a grip on her leg. He pulled against the current, aware that her head was underwater but unable to get a good enough hold on her to pull her up. Instead he yanked her along like a mannequin.

He knew she was dead. He could feel it. The loneliness that engulfed him. Even when she had been gone from the prison, he had felt her. He had known she was out there and she was breathing because he could always feel her. But he didn't feel her now.

He didn't feel her now...

He felt something in his mind give. A slow fissure. An audible crack and then he looked up and the muddy wall of earth was there, finally, right in front of him. And so was his dead brother, standing at the top, hands on his hips. Daryl blinked the rain from his eyes but Merle was still there, solid as the day he had found him at Woodbury.

"She's dead," Daryl barked the rain obscuring the tears that briefly warmed his frozen face.

Merle nodded, his eyes shifting to Carol as Daryl finally heaved her up out of the water. She was limp. "We're all dead, baby brother," Merle said, his voice sounding loud and clear in Daryl's mind. Not his ears. It wasn't a sound from outside. It was Merle's voice, right in his brain. It was strange, not that his dead brother was speaking to him but because when Merle's lips moved the sound wasn't coming from his mouth. It was disorienting.

"I ain't lettin' her go," Daryl growled when Merle motioned for him to climb up.

"You can't climb up with a dead body, baby brother. She's gone. Just let her go."

Daryl shook his head. "Fuck you. I can get her back."

Merle sighed and got down on his knees. "Stubborn as the day you was born," he muttered. "Alright. Lift her up."

"You'll help me," Daryl muttered as he hefted her body up and gripped her under the arms. "You ain't like they all thought." He lifted her, struggling against the dead weight, pushing her up with every ounce of strength he had. "I _need_ her, Merle. You know I need her so you're gonna help me."

His own voice caused fear to course through him. It wasn't like his own. It sounded off. But that didn't matter. What mattered was that suddenly, he wasn't holding all of her weight anymore. Merle was there and he was dragging her the rest of the way.

Daryl fell back into the water but he wasn't under for long. A strong hand gripped his arm and yanked him up. Merle was there. The rain hadn't seemed to touch him.

"No time for that. Get up there," Merle growled, his lips moving but no sound escaping him.

"You're in my head. Only in my head," Daryl muttered.

"You're head is a little bit different now. Only so much a man can take," Merle said as he pushed him up the side of the ravine. Daryl scrambled up, digging his hands into the damp earth and heaving himself up higher and higher. He didn't feel Merle helping him anymore but that was okay. He didn't need him right now. When he needed him he would come. That was what brothers were for.

Once he was finally on solid ground he saw Carol a few feet away, lying face down in the long grass. He crawled to her on all fours, muttering something that even he didn't catch. Broken words from a broken man.

He rolled her over. Her eyes were open but all the light was gone, rain pooling in the corners, seeping between lips that had turned blue.

"No," he growled. "No!" The growl turned into a roar. "You're gonna come back. It's what we do. Me and you. We leave and then we come back." He put his head to her chest but just as he thought, there was no sound from within. He tilted her head, brought his lips to hers and tried desperately to breath life back into her lungs. Her chest rose and fell but it was from his breath, not her own. He could hear the sloshing sound of fluid in her lungs. Taste death on her lips. He did compressions, his mind spinning away with morbid thoughts. If she turned, he could still keep her.

"No," he muttered and then brought his lips to hers again, breathing. Rise fall, gurgle. More compressions. He couldn't keep her. If she was gone then she was gone. No more light in her eyes. No more smile reserved just for him. No more warmth from her touch. If she was gone... "Come back," he said, his voice stern. "Quit fuckin' around and breath goddamn it!" He heard a strange keening sound and realized it was coming from him. "Wake up! I need you! I always need you!" He was screaming now, the force of his words seeming to tear his throat. "Please, wake up..."

He felt her chest heave under his hands and then she blinked, her eyes glazed, wet and unfocused. She coughed and water poured from her mouth. He made a sound in the back of his throat, unable to believe that she had actually listened to him for once. He rolled her onto her side and slammed his hand into her back, gripping her upper arm with his other hand. He watched as she gasped for breath, taking in air and then coughing more water up onto the ground. Eventually she was breathing but it was ragged and she winced.

He watched her breathing in and out, her eyes still far away but the life in them unmistakable. He dropped his head onto her arm biting back a sob. She was there. She had came back. The one person in the world that he simply couldn't lose, wasn't lost.

He looked over his shoulder and saw that there were still walkers falling into the ravine. They wouldn't be able to fight the current. Hell, he had barely been able to fight the current. They could stay here for a few minutes but he had to get her to the house. At the moment they weren't being pursued and he felt too tired to even move. He laid down in the grass, in the rain, his body molded against hers. He didn't dare close his eyes. He watched the steady rise and fall of her slender shoulder as she breathed in and out.

 **Now you know that everyone is gone. There was not one survivor from Team Prison other than Daryl and Carol. Halo and I came up with an idea. What if we both wrote something that doesn't involve these character evolving and coping with the world around them? What if we challenge ourselves a bit and both of us write a story about them** ** _devolving_** **. How long can two people that have been through everything that these two people have been through hold on to their humanity? Can they? We wanted to see. So here is my shot at it. I'll update again soon. Thank you all for giving this a shot! It is greatly appreciated!**


	2. Chapter 2

**So glad you guys are up for this story. Thanks so much for the love. It's pretty clear that Daryl has snapped and you're all okay with that. I hope you enjoy this chapter and thank you all for reading and understanding what I'm trying to do here! Halo posted her first chapter too so check it out! It's great!**

 **Chapter Two**

Carol felt like someone had beaten her to death. Her lungs burned with every inhale, her body felt like it had bent and broken. They were on the ground, lying there as the rain poured over them, freezing them to death. She didn't remember how she had gotten there but she knew that he had been the one to save her... again. With great effort she rolled over onto her stomach and then pushed herself up onto her knees. A coughing fit hit her and she went down on all fours but he was right there, his presence comforting despite her pain, both physical and emotional.

Once it was over she sat back up on her knees and through the rain she saw the old house again. It looked like it had been boarded up for a long time, even before all of this, but it was something. It was shelter. She blinked when he was suddenly right there. His hands tilted her face up and then she felt his lips on her forehead.

"No fever," he breathed, moving so now his forehead was pressed against hers, his hands still on her face.

She nodded against him. She hadn't known if she had gotten bit. She had been in so much pain when he had saved her back in Alexandria that she hadn't known if a walker had gotten her but begged him to leave her there just in case. If she turned she didn't want him to see it. Of course he had refused and instead had nearly gotten himself killed getting her away from that place.

He stood up, gripping her hands and pulling her up with him. She had no choice but to lean into him heavily but he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her towards the house.

"The herd," she managed, her throat burning and her voice sounding like she had swallowed gravel.

He stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Washed away," he said, almost to low for her to hear him in the downpour. She followed his gaze but she didn't see anything. At the moment she didn't care. She just wanted out of the rain and the cold, away from the threats that plagued them. She let him pull her onto the porch.

"Stay here. I gotta try to find a way in. I don't wanna tear these boards off in case more show up," he said, his own voice rough to her ears. It wasn't just the rough quality of his voice. There was something else there too. Something different that her exhausted mind couldn't puzzle out at the moment.

She nodded and sat down against the boarded up door as he disappeared around the side of the house. She felt her eyelids drift closed, knew she needed to open them. Knew she needed to keep a look out for walkers but then she let the darkness pour over her, taking her somewhere that didn't hurt so badly.

~H~

There was a cellar with a heavy padlock on it but it didn't take him long to break it. He found a few things in the barn that could be used. An old lantern and some heavy blankets. He wrapped these items up in an old scrap of plastic and headed back around.

"You could take the woman in through the cellar. Come back out here and then secure the cellar doors and then climb up that tree and go in through an upstairs window. That way you won't have walkers comin' at you from below and you won't have to take down any of them boards that's kept them out for so long."

Daryl glanced up at his brother and nodded. He knew that Merle wasn't really there. He knew that his brother was long dead and he shouldn't be having this conversation with him, but what was it hurting? Merle had saved Carol for him. He had some good ideas too. "Yeah, that's what I'll do," Daryl said out loud.

"You don't have the faintest clue whether I'm real or not, do you?" Merle asked, kneeling down by the cellar door.

Daryl nodded, glancing up at him. "Monsters ain't real. You ain't real. Am I real?" What kind of question was that? He laughed, the sound startling him and making him feel better all at the same time. He needed to laugh. He shook his head and he could feel the grin on his face.

Merle reached out and grabbed his wrist, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "You're real, little brother. You're just all fucked up in the head."

A horrifying thought had his heart throbbing painfully and the grin vanishing from his lips. "If you're dead and I can talk to you, is she dead too? Or am I?"

"She was gone somewhere. You pulled her back. Breathed life right back into that woman, or what passes for life in this place, cause you're the sweet one."

He felt satisfied with that answer and nodded. "I guess I am. That ain't such a bad thing either, ya know? Helpin' folks. Doin' what you can to make shit better. Can't always be a dick like you. If I was a dick then she'd be gone. Gone in the tombs. Gone. Then what?" He shook his head. "No more light. That's what. Just dark. Just like the goddamn tombs..." His voice trailed off when he realized what he was saying.

"You brought her back but if you don't get her in there then she's gonna end up sick or worse. She needs to be warmed up," Merle said, dropping his hand and then disappearing right before Daryl's eyes.

Daryl got up and went around to the front where he had left her. She was lying on the cold cement, her eyes closed but he could see that she was breathing. That was okay. He wouldn't even have to wake her up. He had carried her away from death before, a million years ago back in those tunnels, he could do it again.

It turned out, he didn't have to. She was stronger now than she had been then. Once he got her off the porch floor she opened her eyes, glanced around and then squirmed until he put her down.

"You're just as exhausted as I am, Daryl. You don't have to carry me."

He studied her face and then nodded, leading her around to the cellar. The cellar was pitch dark once they made it to the bottom. The damp smell of mold and mildew assaulted his nose, almost causing him to sneeze but he held it back. He had to keep his ears open for any sounds. Someone could have been dead down here a long time, a starving walker hiding in the shadows.

"It's empty," Merle said from somewhere in the dark. He tensed and he felt Carol tense in response. "The whole house is clear," Merle went on.

"What is it?" She whispered.

He shook his head, tightening his hold around her. "Nothin', thought I heard somethin'."

He walked in the direction of Merle's voice, still being cautious. His booted foot hit the bottom tread and he led her up. To his surprise, the door at the top of the stairs was unlocked. His bow was gone, lost somewhere in Alexandria, so he kept his eyes on the meager light from the open door and let his hand slide around her hip, looking for the knife she kept strapped there. He pulled it free and then put his finger to his lips. She nodded, her eyes searching the room from the doorway.

He went through the house, confident that his brother was right and nothing would come up and get her from behind from the cellar. The house wasn't big. There were two bedrooms upstairs and a small bathroom upstairs, a living room and kitchen with a small breakfast nook attached downstairs. The furniture was covered in dusty sheets. He didn't check the cabinets.

"All clear?" She whispered.

He nodded and led her through the house. It was dark so he lit the lantern and sat it on the table. He pulled the sheet from the couch and then produced one of the blankets from the barn.

"There any clothes here?" She asked, her voice sounding weaker than it had just a few minutes ago.

He looked up sharply. He was covering the couch with one of the blankets he'd found, wanting to be able to get her warm again. "I didn't look. I need to. Can't have you sleepin' in those," he said, stepping around her so he could go up and check the bedrooms.

She gripped his wrist, forcing him to look at her. She studied him. "Are you okay?"

Was he okay? No, he wasn't okay. Neither of them were okay. They had just lost everything. Merle's words flitted through his tired mind then and he felt that fear well up in him again. "Are you alive?" He asked, searching her face, taking her in.

She nodded. "I don't know how but I'm alive. Even if I feel dead."

"Then I'm okay," he said, pulling his wrist from her grip and making his way slowly up to the bedrooms. He found a man's robe that would have to do her until her clothes were dry and a pair of sweats that he would have to wear. They were both at risk of getting hypothermia and he was almost sure that he was in shock, which would explain the presence of his brother and the reason his head was feeling so strange.

He needed to get her wounds cleaned up, get her warm, rest for as long as he could and then find food. He went through the medicine cabinets and lucked up. There was a bottle of alcohol. It was going to hurt her but it was a lot better than a fucking infection. He could pull her out of the water but he couldn't heal her if she got sick.

She was waiting by the stairs when he came back down with the things he had found. She was shivering and even in the dim light her lips were still blue. "Why can't I remember what happened?"

He looked up at her and then handed her the blue robe. She took it without looking at it. "We fell down into a ravine. You wasn't breathing when I got you out."

"I drowned? I was dead?" She asked, her eyes going wide.

He nodded. "Yeah."

"And you-"

"Yeah. Couldn't let you stay dead."

She stared at him for a long time before she looked away. "You didn't let me give up out there, and then you brought me back from the dead. How do you repay somebody back for something like that?"

He shook his head. "You stay alive."

She met his eyes again and nodded. "Yeah. That should be easy enough."

"Get out of those clothes. I'll change in the kitchen then clean out that cut you got. Can't afford an infection," he said, keeping his voice low.

"Then what?"

"Then we warm up, get some rest and then... I don't know. We'll figure it out then."

She nodded.

The house was cold but he felt warmer just getting out of the wet clothes. Not having a shirt to put on didn't bother him. What was the point in hiding? They were the last two people on earth as far as he was concerned. Who the fuck cared if she saw a couple of scars on his back? Those old horrors didn't matter anymore. Not after the last few days.

She was sitting on the couch, wrapped up in the robe, her elbows resting on her knees and her head in her hands.

He wanted to tell her that everything was going to be alright but he wasn't going to lie to her. He didn't know if everything would. He figured that they had a chance of surviving. As long as they could outrun the walkers. "I need to clean you up," he said instead.

She looked up then. "I can do it myself," she said weakly.

He shook his head. "Not all of them. You got more cuts other than the bad one. Don't give me any shit, Carol. It's been a rough day."

She looked back down and then finally nodded, not looking like she had the energy to argue for a change. She stretched out on the couch with a groan as he knelt down beside her, his knees hitting the wood floor hard.

"I don't know where you're hurt. The blood was all over the front of you," he said, his eyes flicking up to meet hers.

She sighed heavily and then untied the knot around her waist, opening up the robe enough to expose a portion of her stomach, her hip and her thigh. She was careful to keep other parts of herself covered. At this point getting her naked wasn't something he even considered. He didn't even think it would have effected him if she had stood up and taken the damn robe all the way off. All he was worried about was getting the wounds cleaned. At the moment he wasn't interested in anything else. The gash ran the length of the skin she was showing. From her stomach, over her hip bone down to her thigh, a long jagged gash.

"This is gonna hurt like hell," he muttered, holding the bottle right above the gash.

"It's better than what I seen happen to some people back in Alexandria," she whispered, causing him to flinch. He didn't say anything. He had a few towels he had found in the kitchen. She bit her lip and winced as he poured the alcohol over the cut but she didn't make a sound.

He studied her face for a few long moments. "This ain't gonna feel any better," he muttered. She simply nodded, watching him carefully. He wiped the cut until it was clean, along with the area around it. He watched as blood welled up and spilled over in crimson rivulets. He couldn't take his eyes off of the pale skin, the blood...

"That's a lot of protein going to waste," Merle said from beside him.

Daryl swallowed and glanced over at Merle. He wanted to ask him what the hell he was talking about but he knew Carol was watching him.

Merle grinned and then disappeared.

"Daryl?"

He looked back up, his eyes locking onto hers. Feverish and hungry.

"Are you okay?"

He nodded and then she closed her eyes. She was exhausted. He was too. The blood still flowed, warm and full of nourishment that he needed. He would eventually need to go out there and hunt for food to feed her.

"There ain't nothin' wrong with it, little brother. You brought her back to life. The least she can do is offer somethin' to give you a little more strength."

Daryl swallowed hard. He was starving, tired, warn down physically and emotionally. He thought of those fucking freaks from Terminus and grimaced. But this wasn't like that. He wouldn't ever hurt her.

Her breathing was evening out. She was sleeping. The blood was still flowing. She wouldn't know. He ran his finger through the blood that was running slowly down her thigh, close to being soaked up by the robe. He brought his finger to his lips and closed his eyes at the taste. Sweet and coppery. Life.

Not letting himself think about it he dipped his head and ran his tongue over her hip, careful not to get his mouth too close to the wound itself. He was only doing what he had to do to keep them alive. Merle was right. It was a waste not to do it. It wasn't like he was hurting her. All he wanted to do now was keep her alive but he would need his strength to do that. And she tasted... she tasted good. He was tasting the very essence of her. This very blood had pumped through her heart, and now a part of it would flow through his veins too.

He had breathed life back into her lungs and now he was tasting that life on his tongue.

He leaned back, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. His eyes flicked up to her face and he froze. She was watching him, her eyes impossibly wide.

~H~

There was a drop of blood at the corner of his mouth. She stared at it for a long time before she finally met his eyes. In the dim light of the lantern she was able to see them clearly in a way she hadn't during their frantic run to safety. He didn't blink but she saw him occasionally glance over, like he was listening closely to something. It was the first time in her life that she had ever truly been afraid _for_ him. She thought maybe she should be afraid _of_ him but she wasn't. He'd saved her.

She had almost finally succumbed to exhaustion when she had felt his warm tongue on her skin. She looked down and watched as he lapped up her blood. She was beyond being surprised. Her mind was too numb. All she felt was a slight disquiet in her mind. Like she knew that this was wrong, but what could she do about it? And now he was watching her, his eyes darting from hers to something that she couldn't see. He just needed to rest.

"We should sleep. You're still freezing," she whispered, unsure what else to say but knowing that bringing up what she had just seen him do was a bad idea.

He nodded and to her surprise he motioned for her to move over. "It's only gonna get colder," he muttered. "If you're between me and the back of the couch, you'll hold more heat."

"If you would rather-"

"You died," he said sharply. "You were gone. I ain't gonna have you getting sick or freezin' to death."

"Okay," she said, placating. She moved over until her back was pressed against the back of the couch. He slipped in next her, pulling the blanket down over them both. His skin was cold to the touch, frighteningly cold. Tentatively she moved so her arm was around his waist. The rain wasn't rain anymore but sleet, coming down heavy, pelting the roof. Regardless of what he had just done, she felt safe when his arm came around her, even though it felt like the heavy arm of a corpse, cold. "Here," she whispered, moving his arm and then guiding it under the robe so his skin was against hers. He would warm up faster. She tucked her head under his chin because the intensity of his gaze was penetrating that safe numbness in her mind. She didn't want to think. She wanted to rest.

"I ain't gonna let anything happen to you," he muttered into her hair.

She let go of a heavy breath and nodded, tightening her hold on him as his hand moved over her back, his touch much warmer now. "I know," she managed around a lump in her throat. "I'm not planning on letting anything happen to you either."

Neither of them said anything else. They really couldn't. Warmth wrapped around them as the ice pelted the house outside. Before she fell into the first real sleep she had managed in days she opened her eyes and could have sworn that there was someone standing close to the couch, looking down at them.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

He didn't know how long they had slept. He had turned off the lantern before lying down on the couch so the house was black as pitch when he opened his eyes. They hadn't moved much while they slept. She was still asleep, flush against him, her warmth keeping the cold away. He didn't feel much better on the inside. That strange feeling in his mind was still there. He squeezed his eyes closed and tried to will the broken pieces of his mind back together. He could feel the cracks. He just couldn't get those scattered pieces to budge.

They had lost so much and now that he wasn't worrying about running from walkers or keeping Carol from giving up, he could think about what it all meant. Worry about what would become of the two of them. He could let himself feel the losses; each one like a sharp stab in his chest. Everything they had all endured and it had to end like that. It wasn't right. Not as hard as they all had fought for so long to hang on in this world.

She stirred against him and he could tell by the way her body grew tense that she was awake. He traced her spine with the tips of his fingers and she relaxed against him, even though he felt goosebumps break out over her skin. He had a feeling that he should feel more uncomfortable but he wasn't. She was warm and alive and that trumped everything else. Even when her hand moved up his back, ghosting over those ugly scars, he didn't flinch away but was thankful that she was there to feel them at all.

"Are you awake?" She whispered, moving her head back so it wasn't pressed against his chest anymore. Her voice was still rough, probably from all the dirty water that had come out of her lungs.

He kept up the rhythmic movements of his fingers over her skin. "Yeah," he whispered back.

"What are we going to do now?" She asked.

He let go of a heavy breath and shook his head. "Keep each other alive."

She was quiet for a long time and then her hand came to rest at his waist. "Daryl, I saw what you did back there in Alexandria. Why?"

He knew what she was talking about but he didn't have an answer. He had seen Glenn and Rick, they had been closer to him than Carol had, both fighting with everything in them to keep the walkers at bay. He had every intentions of helping them but then he heard the crash, saw the walkers making a beeline for Carol. Saw the blood. He met Rick's eyes for a fraction of a second and then he ran past them. Rick and Glenn both. But in his head he had no choice but to go after her. He had to save her. Because in his head, she was the one that he knew would always be there to do the same for him. There was no other option. No hesitations. It had been instinct to protect her before the others. "I don't know," he whispered.

"Come on, little brother, you know why you did it. Same reason you broke down when you saw her there in those woods after she saved your ass from those fucks at Terminus. I'm dead but I ain't stupid."

He squeezed his eyes closed again. He couldn't still be hearing Merle. He was rested. The shock of what they had been through had worn off. Merle wasn't there. But he seemed even more real now than he had earlier. He wasn't hearing Merle's voice in his mind. Now he heard it coming from the darkness of the room, only a few feet away from the couch.

"I..." her voice trailed off, cracking slightly and then she buried her face in his chest again. He felt a tremor run through her and she tightened her grip on him. He didn't say anything. He'd been waiting for this. After everything they had been through he knew that it would happen sooner or later. She was strong but she was bound to break down after everything they had been through. She held too much in. She had been holding things in since before they lost Alexandria.

He pulled her tighter against him, not knowing what else to do for her. He didn't feel like he had made a mistake in saving her. He knew he had done the right thing. The chances of him getting through the walkers to get to Rick or Glenn, or any of the others, had been slim anyway. They weren't dead because of him, they were dead because those walkers, and those madmen out there that this new world had birthed, wouldn't stop until they were all dead. But she wouldn't see it that way. She would see it like she had taken the place of one of the others. Survivors guilt at it's finest.

It didn't take her long to cry herself out. She lifted her head, her hand splayed flat over his heart.

Merle chuckled somewhere in the dark. "You could have her, you know? She wants it. She's wanted it for a long time. It'd sure take her mind off all that mess the two of you barely escaped from."

He swallowed and shook his head, refusing to acknowledge that voice, or the words. She raised up on her elbow, her hand moving from his chest to his shoulder and then he felt her lips graze his jaw. He tried to ignore Merle's words but her lips had a calming effect on his mind, stilling his racing thoughts and giving him something to focus on. There wasn't much good out there to be had, but in here he had something. In here he had something very real... warm... inviting. Besides... Merle said she wanted it. But Merle could be wrong. It wouldn't be the first time Merle was wrong.

From a few feet away Merle snorted in the dark.

"Thank you," she whispered.

He swallowed hard and moved his hand up her side. "You can't tell me you wouldn't have done the same damn thing."

Merle snorted. "Course she would have. She loves you, stupid. And she's mostly naked, pressed right up against you and there you are laying there like an idiot."

"Of course I would have," she said, her lips near his ear.

It wasn't because of what Merle said. It was because he felt like his world was shattering and she could put it back together. It was because he had wanted too for a long time now. It was because she was there and that was the most important thing in all of this. He turned his head, his mouth seeking hers. Her hand slid up, cupping his neck and a small sound escaped her when their lips met in the dark.

He felt himself start to freeze up, start to pull away. Everything up until this point hadn't fazed him. Not their uncharacteristic state of undress, not the tentative explorations, not the closeness. But this was overload. His mind felt like an exposed nerve as it was and he was afraid. Not of kissing her, but of not being able to stop. Everything seemed off kilter and if he did something, anything, to hurt her he was sure that his fragile grasp on his sanity would finally snap right in half.

But he didn't want to stop. The world was chaotic. His thoughts were chaotic. This seemed like the only thing that made any sense in it all. He forced himself to relax. Her lips were soft against his, pliant and willing, comforting. She kissed him back gently. It didn't get passionate. There was no groping or grinding. It was just two people finding solace in the other.

Finally, she pulled away. "What are we going to do?" She asked in a breathy voice.

He shook his head. "We need to find food. I'll need to try to hunt somethin'."

"You aren't going anywhere without me," she snapped, her hand tightening on his shoulder.

He didn't want to argue. They were all the other had and she seemed sure that he would tell her that she had to stay back. "I know," he answered.

She relaxed again and then crawled over him. Instantly he felt the chill her absence left on the couch and he sat up, running a hand through his hair.

"Do you think there's food here?" She asked, keeping her voice down. They couldn't tell if there were walkers out there that may here them. Enough of them could probably tear the house apart. He wouldn't put anything past them anymore.

He reached for the lantern, keeping the flame low. He didn't want anyone out there seeing the light so he wouldn't take it upstairs where all the windows were left exposed. He wasn't sure how much oil the thing still had. He looked up and she was standing in front of him, just a few feet away. She had retied the robe.

"You could have had that off of her already," Merle said from behind her.

Daryl felt his eyes widen when he saw his brother take a step forward and place his hands on her hips. Merle peered at him from over her shoulder. Daryl ground his teeth together, willing himself not to speak to his brother because his brother wasn't there. His brother wasn't there but when his hand came up, pulling the robe open just a little, he sure as hell could see the sliver of pale skin between her breasts.

She shivered, rubbing her arms briskly. "There must be a breeze coming from one of the windows. Do you feel that?"

He closed his eyes and shook his head swiftly. When he stopped he opened his eyes again but he stared down at his boots.

"Daryl?" Her voice was filled with concern.

He stood up, grabbing the lantern, refusing to look at her and headed towards the kitchen. "Maybe they left some canned stuff. I don't know though. I think this place was locked down tight before the world went to shit. Wouldn't make a whole lot of sense for them to leave any food. We've lucked up before though. Lucked up on the road. Maybe we can-"

"Daryl!" Her voice was louder, causing him to flinch but not turn. "What's wrong?"

He shook his head but then he felt her hand on his shoulder.

"Please just tell me," she said, her voice hushed.

He ran a hand over his face and then sat the lantern down on the table before turning to her. Merle was gone and she was covered up. "I think I'm all fucked up," he whispered so low he didn't know how she heard him.

She walked further into the room and leaned against the counter across from him. She didn't look at him like he was crazy but she would if he told her that he was seeing and hearing things. "What else do you expect? Daryl, we lost everyone we cared about. We watched them die. We watched our home, our lives, all of it go up in smoke and then we spent hours running for our lives. And this isn't the first time that we've had to deal with losses. I would be more worried if you were okay with everything."

He held her gaze for as long as he could but he had to look away. "You drowned. I was draggin' your body through that water like a goddamn doll. You were gone and I lost it. I don't even know how I got you out of that ravine. I couldn't let go..." He was going to have to shut up before he started babbling again.

"You must have figured out a way because-"

"My brother pulled us both out," he said, his eyes going to the doorway to the living room, expecting to see Merle standing there. The doorway was blessedly empty.

Her eyes stayed focused on his. "You were just under a lot of stress and-"

"He was there when I was cleanin' you up. Told me that I shouldn't waste your blood cause I needed the energy."

She blinked, swallowing hard. "Well, you were still under a lot-"

"He started takin' off your robe in the livin' room right before we came in here. There's somethin' wrong with my head now."

She opened her mouth to say something, her eyes widening slightly in either fear or shock, he wasn't sure which one.

"You died out there and now my head ain't right. What if I do somethin'... what if I just snap and do something to you? I don't know what the fuck to do about this but he ain't goin' away and I ain't getting better. I need to-"

"I'm not afraid of you," she said, her voice filled with quiet conviction and something else that he couldn't identify.

He met her eyes again, the corner of his mouth turning up in a humorless smile. "Maybe you should be."

~H~

A chill ran up her spine but not because she was afraid of him. She was scared _for_ him. She couldn't imagine what she would have done if she had to look down at him and think he was dead. It could have been her. Then again, she had been ready to give up a lot sooner than he had. The only thing that had kept her going was...

"You aren't going to hurt me. Do you know why I got up that last time, before we fell into that water? I got up because Sophia was telling me that I couldn't leave you. I was hearing my dead daughter. You were seeing your dead brother. We've been through more than our minds could accept. We needed them because we were in danger and our minds conjured them up. When you thought I was dead and you were all alone, your mind couldn't handle it. Not on top of everything else."

She took a step towards him and he didn't try to move away. She took this as a good sign. "Do you really think you could hurt me?" She asked, stopping just a few inches from him.

He shook his head, his eyes, still frantic and troubled, swept over her. "I don't wanna hurt you. You know that," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Then you won't," she said firmly.

"You don't know that. Fuck, _I_ don't know that."

"What are you afraid you'll do?"

He shook his head, looking away, towards the door. His eyes lingered there and then a muscle in his jaw twitched almost angrily.

Carol reached out, touching his arm lightly. "Is he there now?"

Daryl's eyes met hers and then he nodded, his expression angry.

"We're going to be fine," she said.

She was surprised when his hands went to her waist, pulling her closer. He had kissed her earlier but she wasn't expecting him to do it again. It was a heat of the moment kind of thing. They were there, it just happened. She was glad it had but she knew better than to expect more from him. She let him pull her against him. She was hyper aware that his chest was bare. How easily she could lose herself...

"We need to find some food," he said, his eyes boring into hers as he pulled her even closer.

She nodded. "We do. I think it's calm out there now. We can get dressed and go find something to burn in that wood stove. Nobody will see the smoke in the dark. This place could have a well so we can bring in some water. You did a good job with this nasty cut but I want to get clean."

He nodded but he hadn't looked away from her mouth since she had started talking.

"Do you want to kiss me again?" She felt her pulse quicken when his eyes moved back up to hers.

"It's distracting," he said in a low voice.

She nodded. "It is. But do you want to kiss me or is Merle telling you that you should kiss me as a distraction?"

"He might have mentioned it."

"And you don't mind that your brother is watching?" She lifted a brow at him, not really wanting to tease him but needing to rid him of this tension.

"That ain't funny," he muttered, his eyes flicking back to the doorway.

"It isn't," she agreed. She decided that he wasn't going to make a move to actually kiss her so she took it upon herself to kiss him this time. She needed the distraction herself. Her whole body hurt and her heart ached for her family. She was lonely. Very lonely and she needed reminded that she still had him. That no matter what, he would be there with her.

He grunted when she deepened the kiss. He sat down on the edge of the table and pulled her into the cradle of his thighs. He had always been so stoic. Always been just out of reach. It made this much bigger than it would be with any other man. Her lips parted and his tongue swept into her mouth, warm and demanding and tasting strangely of metal. Of blood. Her blood.

The thought should have sickened her but it didn't. It had her heart pounding harder, causing her to wonder what the hell was wrong with her. She gripped his broad shoulders, her nails leaving small crescents in his skin. They were both so lucky to be alive at the moment. Especially her. And to be alive and still have each other was a small miracle. They both should have fallen with the others. But he was here, his large hands slipping down her back, over her ass, pulling her even closer. If they had survived, why not do this? Why not rejoice in the fact that they were alive?

He pulled back slightly, mere inches separating their lips. "What the hell are we doin'?" He asked, his voice taking on a husky tone that rolled over her skin like honey.

"Living," she whispered.

He held her gaze for a few more moments and then his lips were on hers again, hungrier than before. His hands went to the knot that was holding the robe closed, untying it quickly, his hands slipping inside, pulling her closer again. His hands trailed up her sides, mapping out her body. His mouth left hers, trailing down her jaw to her throat. "If we don't stop that cut is gonna start bleedin' again."

Her eyes fluttered open. She had forgotten all about what had happened when she had been forced to jump out of that window. "Damn it," she breathed.

He moved, resting his forehead on her shoulder and working on getting his breathing back under control.

"Do you feel any better?" She asked.

He shook his head and she wrapped her arms around his neck. She was just thankful that he wasn't pulling away. Instead he held her closer, the warmth of his breath rushing over her neck. "Not really, but I think you're right. Somehow we're just gonna have to be okay."

His voice broke her heart.


	4. Chapter 4

**Fanfiction was a mess for a few days there. I was worried it was somehow just gone or something! I freaked out. Anyway, hope you all enjoy this chapter. Thank you for reading!**

 **Chapter Four**

Merle didn't go away and even though it took some time, Daryl got used to him. He still wondered to himself often how he had managed to get himself and Carol up the side of that steep muddy wall. He knew Merle hadn't been the one to pull them up but for the life of him, he just couldn't figure it out. It didn't matter anymore. They had made it and now they were building some kind of fucked up life together. They didn't leave the property, rarely left the house at all. They had found a stash of canned foods in the cellar. Fruits and vegetables. Some of them were too old to bother with but they did find some that were still okay.

They didn't talk a whole lot. They didn't bring up the group that they had lost. They didn't reminisce about any of that. They didn't talk about the future or make plans to leave or to find a new group. Actually the one thing he was positive that they agreed on was that they didn't need a new group. The chances of them finding good people were slim. They were the lone survivors and they would remain that way. To them, they were literally the last two living people on earth and neither of them seemed to mind. They were efficient. They got each other, a deep understanding that he had never had with another person before. But that was how it was even before they had lost everything. Always, somehow, just him and her.

The day after they had made it to the house it snowed. It snowed for days and then it all froze over. It took a week for everything to thaw back out, leaving a muddy mess in it's wake but they had been able to leave for a while. He had made two bows, since the only weapon they had now was Carol's knife. They didn't even have a gun anymore. He taught her how to make arrows and she got surprising good at it after a while. She was a really bad shot though.

"I need meat," she muttered one morning as she sat on the floor with a needle and thread, working on what looked like a shirt.

"Been here for three weeks and ain't seen any walkers. We can go give it a try if you want. Anything comin' in from the north is gonna get caught in the ravine. We just got the other three sides to keep our eyes on," he said, the sound of his own voice seemed odd to his ears. They were always quiet.

"We're running out of wood," she observed.

He sat down on the couch and watched her closely, her fingers deftly working the needle through the cloth. "There's always the barn. I can start ripping walls down if you want."

Her lips twitched but she didn't smile. "I'm making you a shirt."

"We can start with that then," he muttered.

She looked up then. This was the most they had spoken in a few days. "I'm going out of my way to make you something and you want to burn it?"

He looked at the shirt, or what would eventually be a shirt, and shrugged. They spoke little but they teased each other even less than that. They slept together every night, but they hadn't kissed again. Not after that first night when things nearly got out of hand. He wanted to kiss her. Merle was always talking shit cause somehow he knew that. He just hadn't done it. She hadn't either. "There's plenty of woods around here. We ain't gonna run out of wood."

She picked up the shirt and stood up. The clothes she had rounded up weren't half bad. Nothing like the June Clever get up that she had sported back in Alexandra. The person who left the few jeans and t-shirts that Carol had managed to scrounge up must have been a little younger than the man of the house because the only thing Daryl had managed to find other than an old faded pair of camouflage pants were overalls and he wasn't about to wear those. "So, are we going to hunt?" She asked.

He stood up and stretched. "It'd be a good day for it. Feels like it's at least fifty degrees out there. Probably plenty of animals out. That means there's probably plenty of walkers out too."

She met his eyes, holding his gaze for a long time before offering him a small smile. "We'll be fine. If we see any trouble then we just head home."

"Home, huh?" He glanced around the living room. It wasn't nice by any means but she had scrubbed and dusted, keeping herself busy. During the day they usually spent their time upstairs where the windows weren't boarded up and they had light. He didn't know why she had wanted to be downstairs today but he had followed her.

"It's the closest thing we have to home," she muttered before turning and heading up the stairs.

He grabbed the bow from beside the bed while she grabbed the coat she had found in a box in the cellar. He moved in front of her and pulled the curtain aside, scanning the yard. The last thing they needed was for a group to see them leaving the house. They were strong but they were only two people. They could get overpowered easily.

"You're too paranoid. Ain't nobody out there," Merle said from behind him. "And if you wanna get lucky, head west. You'll catch a couple of things if you go that way. There's a small heard to the east, not heading this way but you wanna avoid them anyhow."

Daryl glanced at Carol. "We'll catch somethin' if we head west," he said, opening the window and climbing out onto the roof.

"Is he sure?" Carol asked, taking his hand and letting him help her out onto the roof.

"Sure as he is about anything else I 'spose," Daryl said with a shrug. She didn't think he was crazy because he saw his brother. She was envious. Merle had predicted the weather, told them where in the cellar they would find the canned goods, showed Daryl where the well was. All these things would have been discovered eventually but even she couldn't deny that it was strange that Daryl could lead her right to everything they needed without even looking. So she simply shrugged and accepted the fact that somehow, Daryl could see and speak and even feel his dead brother.

Merle chuckled. "You know, if she wanted meat that bad you could always offer her a mouth full of tube steak. Bet she'd jump all over it."

Daryl made a face, refusing to respond. He had set up a ladder so they could get down without having to climb down onto the back porch railing, which was how he had gotten into the house that very first day. When they came back up they would pull the ladder onto the roof. It was a hassle but he refused to tear off any of the boards that covered the doors or windows downstairs. The wood was thick and sturdy and it was the only thing keeping him and Carol from any walkers that might happen by. It was worth the hassle.

Carol was as silent as he was as they made their way through the trees. She must have picked it up from him over time. The bow he had made took some getting used to but he had used them before. It wasn't as accurate as his crossbow but soon they had two good sized rabbits and that was more than enough for the two of them. Merle stayed away so he didn't have to listen to his commentary. Even after they had caught the rabbits she was still quiet. She was always quiet but so was he so it wasn't like he could call her out on it.

They walked close, their arms brushing. It was getting to the point where they were almost like one person. It was strange but it was how things were. He liked it. He was able to keep an eye on her when she was so close. For a man that had spent the past forty six years keeping people at bay, it was a strange thing to have someone this close all the time.

"What do we do if we run into more survivors?" She asked suddenly.

They were in the barn both of them working quickly to clean the rabbits so they could get back inside before dark. He kept his eyes on the rabbit. "Nothin'."

"What if they need help?" She pressed.

"It ain't our job to save the goddamn world," he snapped. "We tried, remember? It don't work. It's too dangerous."

She was silent after that. As soon as the sun went down he built a fire in the wood stove so she could cook. While she did that he hauled water from the well, filling the bathtub with enough water to bathe in. He brought two more buckets downstairs for her to boil to add to the bath water.

"You know, I been thinkin' about what your woman asked earlier, about people," Merle said from the doorway to the bathroom.

"What?" Daryl asked, keeping his voice low.

Merle shrugged. "Well, the way I see it, it's just you and her here. Neither of you got any weapons worth mentionin'. No supplies other than what you've managed to scrounge up here."

"We don't need much. Not since it's just the two of us. You don't hear her complaining about not having enough."

"She's crackin' just like you, baby brother. Has been since before all this. She's just better at hiding it."

Daryl scowled. "What the fuck are you talkin' about?"

Merle sighed. "You know she killed those folks at the prison. Killed that little girl when you all was livin' it up with a bunch of cannibals. She's tryin' to hold on but now, now it's harder for her. Losin' that group. Fuckin' dyin' out there. Yeah, she's slippin alright. I figure it won't be too long now that the three of us will be able to sit around and have a good old time. She's gonna be just as crazy as you are."

"What the hell are you getting at, Merle?" Daryl hissed angrily.

"Bout twelve miles North of here there's a group. Nasty types. Got themselves a hard on for weaker groups they stumble on. Murdering raping bastards, they are. But they've been able to build up quite an arsenal for themselves. They got supplies, guns, food. Now why should a bunch of nasty mother fuckers like that have all that they need and you and Carol are holed up here, strugglin'. Don't seem right."

"What's that got to do with her being crazy?" Daryl asked, knowing he needed to get back downstairs to eat.

"Because I bet all you'd have to do is mention forming some sort of plan to raid them, and she'd be all for it."

"You're an idiot."

"She took out Terminus by herself, baby brother. That woman down there is lethal. Especially where you're concerned. Hell I bet you could send her out right now with nothin' but that knife of hers and she'd come back with a belt full of scalps. You underestimate her. Makes me wish like fuck I was alive. I sure as shit wouldn't be wasting time. Woman that damn wild has to be crazy good in the sack. Me and her had chemistry too. Damn shame."

Daryl glared. "You know, if you wasn't already dead I swear I'd kill you right now. Shut your fuckin' mouth. I ain't risking her getting killed for some goddamn guns and some canned meat."

Merle sighed, shook his head and then left. He didn't take the stairs down or disappear like he did pretty often. He walked right through the wall. He did it because he knew that shit creeped Daryl out and he got a kick out of it.

"Asshole," Daryl grumbled as he made his way downstairs. She handed him a bowl once he came down the stairs but she was silent. It was weird that he talked to Merle more than he did her because she was actually there.

"What did he say?" She asked after a few long minutes.

He chewed, his eyes roaming over her for a second. "Nothin'. And quit talkin' about him like he's actually there. I went crazy and now I hallucinate."

"I heard you arguing about something," she muttered, picking at her food.

He sighed. "He said there's a group about twelve miles from here. They got supplies, guns, shit we could probably use."

She snorted. "Neither one of us are crazy enough to go rob people. We know how bad it is out there. It wouldn't be right to take from them."

Daryl shook his head. "A bunch of murdering rapists."

She sat the bowl down and pulled her legs up onto the couch. "That's a different story. We should take them out."

He shook his head, finishing off his food and then licking his fingers clean. "No."

"Daryl, we have nothing to protect ourselves. What the hell would we do if those men made there way here? You'd probably have to sit back and watch at they took turns raping me and then we'd both be killed!"

He glared at her, trying to shake that image from his mind. "Don't fuckin' say shit like that to me again. If we lay low, ain't nobody gonna show up here."

"We showed up here. It's only a matter of time before-"

"Drop it," he snapped.

She stared at him for a few long moments before she finally stood up and took her bowl to the kitchen. Usually she grabbed his on her way by but she was pissed. It was almost refreshing. It was the most emotion he had seen on her face in weeks. He sat the bowl down next to hers and watched as she snatched the pot from the counter and stormed back into the living room. She filled it up with some of the water he had brought in.

She kept her back to him, wrapping her arms around herself to stave off the chill. The temperature was dropping fast and they never burned the fire too much for fear of someone seeing the smoke. He hated it, but that was just the way things had to be. They stayed warm enough at night. Strangely enough, the less they wore, the warmer they were in bed. Body heat just worked that way. She took the lantern with her without a word, needing it for the bathroom. It was the only room up there where they could use it since it didn't have a window.

He kept his eyes on his boots as he made his way silently up the stairs. When he got to the top he looked up just in time to see her peel off her shirt. Her back was to him but that didn't seem to matter. He drank in the site of her smooth skin and he couldn't even breath. He couldn't breath because he suddenly had the urge to mark her, to sink his teeth into her and stake his claim.

"You could, you know. She wants it," Merle said, suddenly beside him.

He would usually give Merle a dirty look but he couldn't take his eyes off her. He felt a strange sense of possessiveness that was uncharacteristic. With great effort he finally tore his eyes away from her just before she shimmied her jeans down.

"Why do you think she's makin' it a point to do all that with the door open, brother? Because she wants you to see that ass. You gotta know that."

"She's pissed," Daryl whispered as he stripped his own shirt off and grabbed the sweats he'd been sleeping in.

"So she gives you a free show?" Merle asked.

Daryl crawled into bed with a sigh. "Yep."

"That don't make any goddamn sense."

Daryl shook his head, trying to rid his mind of the sight he had seen. "It's her way of lettin' me know what I'm missin' out on."

"You think?" Merle asked, sounding doubtful.

"Trust me, I know her."

Merle must have left after that because all was quiet once more. He was ready for her to hurry the hell up and get into bed because he was freezing. They had no choice but to rely on body heat. After what felt like a cold eternity she breezed into the room and hurriedly crawled over him instead of getting in on her side. He grunted when she almost kneed him in the nuts. "What the hell are you doin'?" He grumbled as she slid under the blankets.

"Going to bed," she said, her tone clipped but her arm instantly going around him, forcing him to wrap himself around her.

She rolled over, keeping her back to him and fitting herself into the curve of his body, like a puzzle piece. She was shivering against him and she was still tense with anger but soon she relaxed into him. Daryl warmed up quickly himself and felt sleep pull him under as soon as he heard her steady even breathing. He didn't worry about the walkers or strangers anymore. He knew that Merle would wake him up if anything was about to happen. That was one good thing about being crazy. Merle was dependable now that he was dead.


	5. Chapter 5

**My internet has been a mess but since it's having a lucid moment I'm going to post. I'm sorry if this is full of typos but I don't want to risk my internet going back out before I update so I just skimmed it. Thanks for reading!**

 **Chapter Five**

 _Touching tattered wings, shredding reality seams. Tear it away. Infinite those screams, for the illusions of sanity were only blinders hiding a vast and turbulent sea of knowledge. Drop the needle and burn the thread, we need no healing here. The animal she cradled quietly has risen and the beast he is now embraces that quiet unraveling... -Haitus80_

They had turned into nocturnal creatures. They stayed up during the night because that was when they could do their cooking and that was when they could use the heat from the stove. Carol hadn't spoken to him in a few days but that didn't seem to faze him. They didn't speak often anyway. Really, what was there to say? The future was too uncertain to discuss and the past was too painful to bring up. So they lived in the moment.

And the quiet.

And the dark.

She thought that she would feel lonely without the others. Like she had felt that short time she had been on her own, but she didn't. She felt guilty that she didn't. That didn't mean that she didn't miss the group or feel the loss of them heavily in her chest any time her mind wondered there, but she didn't feel alone. Daryl, though quiet, had a huge presence that seemed to fill up the void. Even when she was mad at him, which she was.

They slept later than usual, or it seemed that way when she opened her eyes and it looked like it was close to dark outside. Usually they were up a few hours before nightfall but it was pressing against the windows now.

She shivered and then frowned, sitting up quickly and looking at his side of the bed. Her hand shot out but his side of the bed was cold. He hadn't been in bed for a while. Panic clawed it's way up her chest, and she made a sound like a frightened animal, her heart jumping painfully.

He wouldn't have left her. Surely, he wouldn't have left her there. She wasn't wearing anything but a t-shirt and usually made sure she was dressed before she started her day, or night, but she didn't bother. She ran out of the room, checking the bathroom and the other bedroom before hitting the stairs, almost throwing herself down them in her panic.

When she had been on her own it had been rough on her emotionally but she had known that the others were safe behind the fences at the prison. Just knowing they were there was a comfort to her in a way. But now everyone was dead and gone, had been for a while now, and Daryl was the only thing in the world that she had left. The thought of him being gone too had her insides freezing up painfully. Her chest ached, her throat was tight and her head spun. Had Merle talked him into leaving?

She cursed herself once she hit the bottom step. She realized now that the lantern was still in their room and it was too dark to really make anything out down here. She opened her mouth to say something, to ask if for some reason he was down there in the dark but a sound from above her had her looking up the stairs sharply. All of the air left her lungs at the sight of him.

"Goddamn, what's wrong?" He asked, hurrying down the stairs almost as quickly as she had.

Other than that very first night they had kept their distance unless they were in bed and that was only because they needed each other for heat, but at the moment all of that flew out the window and as soon as he stepped foot on the last stair she threw herself at him. Unhesitatingly his arms wrapped around her. She prided herself on her strength and ability to adapt but she didn't feel any of that now. Only relief that she wasn't alone. That the only person in the world left that she loved was still there.

"I thought you left," she breathed, her body almost vibrating with relief that he was there, very real, arms wrapping her up and making her feel like he could keep every danger in the world away. "You scared the hell outta me."

"I was comin' back from the barn and... Merle said you were in here freakin' out. You really think I'd take off on you?" He said, his voice low, his breath blowing across her neck causing her to shiver despite his warmth.

"I know," she said, feeling incredibly idiotic to think he'd just leave. "I just woke up and you weren't there. You're always there."

"I killed a couple of birds. You slept late," he said, still holding on to her, somehow knowing she wasn't ready for him to let go just yet.

She nodded, tightening her grip around his neck, breathing in the familiar scent of him. It calmed her further and she shook her head against his shoulder. "I'm pathetic."

"No you're not. But you're an ass for thinkin' I'd run off. You're the only goddamn thing that matters. I ain't dumb enough to walk away from that."

Her lips turned up. "You know, for a man that can go days without speaking, you're awfully suave."

He snorted and shook his head. "Go put your pants on, Carol. Merle won't shut up about your ass."

She realized then that she was almost naked. "Merle can dream on."

He actually chuckled lightly against her skin and she pulled away. She had an overwhelming urge to kiss him. She had enjoyed kissing him all those weeks ago but neither of them had brought that up since the night it happened. Since their first night in the house.

She pulled away but his hands lingered on her waist and then he surprised her by pressing his lips to her forehead. The gesture was so unexpected and so out of character for him that it stunned her for a second. But all too soon he dropped his hands and turned to go back up the stairs. She followed, wondering if Merle was behind her looking up her shirt.

~H~

He hadn't meant to scare her. He just had to get the hell out of that bed. And then that hadn't been enough. He needed to get out of the room and then that hadn't even been enough either. He didn't want to get away from her. It was the complete opposite of that. He wanted to get closer. He had woken up from a dream that those very men that Merle warned him about had found the house and had taken her. He hadn't been able to do anything about it because they weren't armed so all he could do was watch as they hauled her away. When he had woken up he had been so relieved to find her there, that he had pulled her closer, needing to feel more of her.

And then he felt that all consuming urge not to just feel more of her but all of her. He'd wanted to wake her up and then lose himself in her. He had wanted to taste her skin, hear her scream. And all the while there was this voice in his head, that belonged to himself, telling him to take her. To claim her. It was an animistic need to fucking... mate. Not in the bed either. Vivid visions of pressing her into the ground, out there in the woods, flitted through his mind. And it wasn't the first time he'd had these visions. Sometimes that was all he could see.

In some of these visions, he actually hunted her down, stalking her before, with a sultry laugh, she would give up and urge him on. In some ways he could feel the deterioration of his humanity... but that made him so much sharper. He noticed subtle changes. He could smell her moods now. He could feel the subtle shifts in the air around her. He felt sharper, stronger, more capable. Sometimes he wasn't sure which was slipping faster, his humanity or his sanity, or maybe he felt so in tune with that primal part of himself because of the insanity. Because he knew he was a goddamn lunatic. He had come to terms with it. Hell, he was embracing it.

There was one thing he was sure of though. If he gave in and finally let himself have her, every shred of the man he had been would be lost. And sometimes he thought it would be worth it. If he knew that he wouldn't scare the fuck out of her, or hurt her, maybe he'd just throw caution to the wind, but he couldn't risk that. He couldn't make her afraid because he was all she had left in the world and the thought of causing her any pain made his head feel like it was on fire, burning away even more of who he had been.

He sat down on the bed and then let his back fall onto the mattress, waiting for her to get dressed. The last thing he needed to do was watch her take off that shirt. She wasn't shy in the least and averting his eyes to not see her naked was something he was used to now. It didn't help that he didn't want to avert his eyes. He wanted to stare and then he wanted to burn every goddamn stitch of clothing she had scrounged up just so she wouldn't have the option to cover up her body anymore. Years of running and starving hadn't diminished the feminine swell of her hips or the roundness of her ass. It was a distraction.

"I've been thinkin'," he said as he crossed his arms under his head and stared up at the stained ceiling.

"Of course you have. This is the first time we've spoken in days. I figured you had been thinking," she said from the other side of the room.

"I think you're right," he said, hesitantly. He wasn't sure if it was smart to bring this up but after dreaming she had been taken, he couldn't shake the worry.

"About?"

He sat up, knowing he had given her enough time to put her clothes on. She was standing in front of the closet with her arms crossed over her chest. "We need weapons. I can't keep a goddamn thing from happenin' to you if I ain't armed."

She met his eyes. "You need to stop thinking that it's your responsibility to keep things from happening to me. You aren't the alpha male here. We keep each other safe."

He held her gaze. Maybe she was right but that wasn't how he felt. As misogynistic as it sounded, even in his own head, it was his job to protect her. It didn't matter to him that she was capable of protecting herself. If he did his job, she wouldn't need to. He knew she was lethal. He knew how dangerous she really was and that was one of the reasons he was so hung up on her. She wasn't some sobbing useless mess. She wasn't some snot nosed kid that had been too damn sheltered. He'd seen girls like that, even in this world.

Carol was a different breed of woman altogether. She was just as capable as he was. But he couldn't shake that possessive feeling. It wasn't just a feeling. It was a need to stay a few steps ahead of her. "I wanna get those guns," he said in a low voice.

"I want those men dead," she said, little emotion in her voice.

Merle made a sound from the doorway and Daryl glanced at him. "She's somethin' else, baby brother," he muttered. "She's got some blood lust in her. You're tryin' to fight your own while she's embracin' hers."

Daryl ignored him, like he always did unless Merle caught him alone. "We can move in on them when it's dark."

She shook her head. "You can sneak around. I can walk right into their camp."

He stood up, his eyes growing hard. "No, you can't."

"I've been thinking about this too, Daryl, just hear me out."

He shook his head. "Nah, forget I even brought it up, alright. If you're plan is to walk right in there as some decoy." He made a disgusted sound and shook his head. "Are you fuckin' crazy? Don't answer that, we're both fuckin' crazy. I ain't crazy enough to go along with that though."

"Hear her out little brother," Merle said, stepping into the room.

Daryl's head snapped up angrily. "Fuck off. She ain't doin' it," he growled. He realized he had just snapped at his brother right in front of her and was almost afraid to look at her now. Her knowing he saw his brother was a lot different than her standing there watching him speak to him, since she couldn't see him at all.

"See! He knows it isn't a bad idea!" She hissed, not looking taken aback at all that he had spoken to Merle right in front of her.

He looked at her then, really looked at her and realized, with a start, that it was the absolute truth that he wasn't the only one losing his fucking mind. "When the hell has Merle ever been one to give advice? I said no. You ain't going."

She opened her mouth to say something but then shut it quickly, changing tactics. She was smart. Her eyes softened. "Imagine how safe we would be if we had those guns. Imagine how good it would feel to have supplies and enough food. You have to stop thinking that something bad would happen to me. I know what I'm doing and I trust that you would be there. I could be a distraction."

He growled and shook his head. "You ain't gonna go in there. We don't know how many-"

"Twelve men," Merle interrupted quickly.

Carol was observant. "What did he say?"

"Nothin'," Daryl grumbled.

"Tell her."

"Tell me."

"He said there's over fifty men. We can't take out a group that big."

She narrowed her eyes. "Don't you dare lie to me."

He shook his head. "I'm not." He kept his eyes on hers and refused to budge. She couldn't hear Merle so she wouldn't know the difference.

"Yes you are, I can feel it."

He didn't look away from her angry stare. "I don't care if it was just one man. We can't risk it."

"How many?" She asked, taking a step closer.

His nostrils flared, tasting the air around her. He shook his head, reminding himself that he wasn't a fucking animal. He shouldn't be sniffing out her mood. But he could tell that she had something up her sleeve. "Merle says twelve."

"That isn't too many for us," she said, taking another step.

"You ain't goin'."

"You aren't my keeper," she said, a challenge in her voice that had a muscle in his jaw ticking. "If I wanted I could go alone. I could-"

His whole body seemed to tense at the thought and she quickly shut her mouth. She wasn't afraid but she wasn't stupid either. The air grew dense. Somehow she knew he was pissed. Beyond pissed, really. And she liked it. "We need those weapons. I ain't stupid. But you ain't goin' in there half cocked thinkin' your goddamn Wonder Woman. If we go, you ain't goin' near them alone."

"Fine. But we're going after that group," she said, biting her lip, a strange gleam in her eyes.

He watched her teeth sink into the tender flesh there and had a flashback to the taste of her blood on his tongue. He met her eyes and was surprised to see they had grown dark.

"You two are like a couple of goddamn caged animals," Merle muttered.

That snapped him out of it. He turned around and walked out of the room without saying another word. He wordlessly built a fire in the stove and he could feel her eyes on him the whole time. He cooked the birds himself while she sat on the couch, working on that damn shirt. She only did it to have something to busy her hands with. Sometimes it seemed like they lived in a bubble and that would cause anyone to start getting restless.

They ate in silence and as soon as the food was gone, she started sewing again. He was minding his own business, sitting on the floor, working on making more arrows when he heard Merle sigh heavily. The sound startled him because it had been so silent and he missed the wood, nicking his finger with the blade. He didn't acknowledge it because it wasn't bad. It bled but a little blood on the arrows wasn't going to hurt anything.

"Well, that's... interesting," Merle muttered.

When Daryl looked up Merle was standing in the doorway to the kitchen, watching Carol. Daryl looked at her but didn't see anything amiss. Then she stilled and raised her head. He watched as she sniffed delicately and then she looked over, meeting his eyes. She didn't look anywhere else but his eyes, he was sure of it.

"You're bleeding," she said, an obvious statement, not a question.

He nodded. "You smell it?" That wasn't possible and he knew it.

She sat the shirt aside and scooted down so she was sitting on the floor with her back to the couch. The lantern light made her eyes seem strangely luminescent. She sat there for a few seconds, watching him and then her eyes lowered to his hand that was holding the arrow. She swallowed thickly and then she moved, crawling towards him on her hands and knees. He watched her, something telling him to stay very still.

She stopped and came up on her knees in front of him, gently taking the knife from his hand and then sitting it aside before picking up his hand and examining his injured finger. It was just a small slice close to the tip near his fingernail but it was bleeding freely. "Does it taste good?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. She hadn't taken her eyes off of his yet.

He nodded remembering how she had tasted.

Wordlessly she brought his finger to her lips. Her tongue lashed out quickly, catching the single drop that was making it's slow descent. He felt a hot flash crawl up his spine at the site of it and then his finger disappeared into her mouth. Her eyes fluttered closed and then she sucked deeply. It felt good. Really good actually. Better than it should have. He should have been at least slightly repulsed but he wasn't. He changed his mind when suddenly, her eyes snapped open and he felt her teeth sink into him, almost hard enough to break skin.

He growled and then she grinned, his finger still caught between her teeth, showing him that she actually had broken the skin. Had she lost her goddamn mind? He reached up, grabbing her by the back of the hair hard and finally she let him go. Instead of shoving her away, he pulled her closer, kissing her roughly, the taste of blood on her lips not deterring him but spurring him on. She kissed him back, just as aggressively and for some reason this registered in his head like it was a challenge. One that, for some reason, he couldn't let slide.

She shoved him hard and faster than he thought possible she stood up, looking down on him with a strange gleam in her eye. She looked triumphant. She took a step backwards, then another before he was on his feet. She turned then, like there was an escape. They were trapped here. _She_ was trapped here. And he was in complete control. She had made the remark earlier that he wasn't some kind of Alpha but that was a lie. That was exactly what he was.

She turned and was about to make a move to get away but he grabbed her, hauling her back into him as he walked her to the wall, pressing her against it.

"Where the fuck are you gonna go, Carol?" He growled.

She glanced over her shoulder, the grin on her face looked almost evil. His finger throbbed as he gripped her hips, pressing his body against hers harder. "Fuck you, Daryl," she said breathlessly and then, to his amazement, she laughed. He hadn't heard that sound in a long time and it caused him to grin. And then, without thinking at all, he bit her. The delicate skin at the back of her neck was sensitive. He expected her to cry out in pain. Instead, she moaned. He licked the angry mark, even though it wasn't bleeding. It would definitely bruise.

"That all you got?" She growled and then moved her ass against him.

He laughed, moving away just enough so he could turn her around. He lifted her easily, shoving her back against the wall. Her legs locked around him and her mouth went to his greedily.

"Brother, I think your woman might be crazier than you are."

Daryl was willing to ignore Merle. It wasn't like the son of a bitch was really there. But he felt her body tense and then she tore her mouth away from his, wide eyes, dark and lustful meeting his.

"Merle?"

As soon as the name left her lips Daryl let her go and stumbled backwards. She kept her back pressed to the wall and her chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath. She looked towards the doorway where Daryl knew Merle was still standing, watching this all unfold. He could tell by the stricken look on her face that she saw him too. Her wide eyes met his, disbelieving.

Merle ran a hand over the top of his head. "And... snap," he muttered.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello! So, unfortunately, I don't think there is a whole lot of this story left to be told. I think two or three more chapters should wrap it up. Huge thanks to all of you that are reading this.**

 **Chapter Six**

Merle held her gaze and she wanted to be afraid. She needed to be afraid because fear would have been a natural reaction to seeing a dead man. Fear would have grounded her and reminded her that she was human. But she wasn't afraid. She realized then that she had already accepted that he was there. Now was just slightly different because she could see him also.

Instead of worrying about what it meant that she was finally seeing him too, she was overcome with a sense of annoyance at the interruption. Her body was a furnace and her thoughts were unfocused, broken up into bits of visions that had her blinking rapidly.

She was having a hard time catching her breath. Her body was wound tightly, a mix of danger and attraction had heated up her blood and still roared behind her ears despite the fact that Merle was watching her carefully.

She had wanted Daryl to hunt her down. Why the hell would she want him to do that? Why were these thoughts, vivid visions of being completely dominated, rushing through her mind? It wouldn't have mattered if they had been in a group with one hundred other men, she would have sniffed him out. He was stronger. He was faster. His essence more potent than other men and he would have been the one that she would choose for a mate. He was dangerous but that's what would make it so good... What in the fuck was she thinking?

Merle grinned. "You're lookin' a phantom right in the face and you still can't get Daryl's dick out of your head. You're a goddamn wildcat. Why didn't we fuck back there at the prison? We had a little somethin' goin' right? I mean, in time you coulda found yourself sneakin' into-"

"Merle, shut your stupid whore mouth. How the hell is she seein' you right now?"

Merle shot Daryl a look and shrugged. "Cause her heads all fucked up just like yours. What'd you expect? She's been locked up in this house with a psycho for over a month. Anybody would snap. She was on a slippery slope to begin with."

"But if she was crazy then she'd be seein' somethin' else. She wouldn't be seein' you the same way I do," Daryl argued.

Merle shrugged. "Then maybe you ain't crazy."

Carol's eyes slid over to Daryl's and again she was having a hard time thinking about anything other than him mounting her. She cleared her throat. Her hands were shaking. Her whole body was shaking with a strange combination of excitement, confusion and... need. "I think I need some air," she managed.

"You need some-"

"Merle!" Daryl snapped. "Go away for a damn minute, would you?"

Merle rolled his eyes and then he was gone. Carol stopped on the stairs, looking over her shoulder. "He always just disappear like that?"

He nodded, and put his hand on her lower back, urging her up the stairs. She wasn't the only one that looked like they needed air. His eyes were feverish. He always seemed to look like that here lately. "Can we just go?" She asked once they were in the bedroom.

"Tonight?" he looked at her, keeping a safe distance.

"Why not? We aren't going to be anymore prepared than we are now. We need to do this. We're out of food. We need those guns and..." Her voice trailed off. She didn't want to say what she was about to say so she chose her words more carefully. "And I want those men gone. It isn't right that men like that, men that do what they do, get to walk around when our group is dead. If we can stop something bad from happening to another innocent group then maybe... maybe there was a point to us surviving."

"You really think we should go after them tonight?" He asked. She could see the fire in his gaze. He wanted to do it as bad as she did. Once he stopped focusing on keeping her safe, he was all for it.

"What difference does it make whether we do it now or a few days from now? Maybe they'll move on and we won't get a chance. If that happens, how many more people are going to be hurt by them? How many more women raped?"

His eyes flicked towards the window before meeting hers. "If it gets bad out there, if it feels wrong, we leave. I can't let anything happen to you."

She nodded eagerly. "If it feels off then we leave and you're forgetting one important thing. Merle can tell us everything we need to know before we get there. We'll be fine."

~H~

This was a stupid move but he didn't have a bad feeling about it. It was stupid because he was going through with it only because of what had happened downstairs. Their heads were all fucked up and he was starting to worry that they were reaching some dangerous precipice. When he'd had her shoved up against the wall like that, he felt good. Like he was doing what he should be doing. Sinking his teeth into her, hurting her, knowing he was hurting her and not caring. Not caring because she liked it.

He had to do something to stop this... this regression.

They were on the road now and Daryl was a little relieved to discover that the driveway was over a mile away from the road and the trees blocked it pretty well. The house had been long abandoned so the drive was overgrown. The night was dark and overcast, not even starlight to guide them but she didn't seem to be having a hard time seeing and neither did he. They needed to find a car. If they didn't then they had about a four hour walk ahead of them and that was too long. Not that they would run out of darkness by that time but nobody wanted to hike twelve miles just to kill someone.

Man, that was a fucked up thought.

Merle walked alongside them on silent feet. Carol glanced up. "Do you know if there's a car nearby or will we have to walk the whole way?" She asked.

Daryl was about to answer her but she hadn't been talking to him. Merle answered. "There's another house about a mile up the road. Should be able to find something there," he said.

They kept walking and then Merle faded away like he had never been there at all. "You cold?" He asked after a few quiet minutes.

She shook her head. "Actually, I feel too warm."

"Yeah, me too."

"What the hell was that back there? Why do I feel so..." she didn't finish her sentence but he knew what she was talking about.

"I don't know. Maybe it's cause it's just me and you stuck in that house. All the shit we've been through. It caused us to snap, just like Merle said."

"Crazy people never admit they're crazy, Daryl," she said after a while.

He shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you then. All I know is, we see ghosts, we can smell things that normal people don't smell, taste things normal people don't taste, feel hot when it's forty degrees outside. Maybe we ain't crazy but we sure as shit ain't who we used to be."

"I feel strange, but it isn't bad. I don't understand it so it's a little much, a little frightening, but I like it."

He understood what she was saying because he felt the same way. They didn't talk about it anymore after that. They finally came upon a house that looked to be in better shape than theirs and there was a few cars parked in the driveway.

"We won't need the lights. I can see good enough to keep it on the road. We'll park it when Merle tells us to park it," he said as he pulled the door open. The car was a rare find now days. I huge part of him was doubtful that it would even start. When she got into the passenger seat she shut the door quietly. He pulled the visor down and keys clattered into his lap.

"Here goes nothing," she said quietly.

He shoved the key into the ignition and turned it. The engine coughed, sputtered for a long time but then, after pressing on the gas a few times, it finally came to life. He glanced at her and she grinned. "You ready to go kill some fuckers?"

"It's so romantic," she said.

He snorted and pulled out, keeping the headlights off. "All right, asshole, you tell me when I need to stop," he said, expecting Merle to show up out of nowhere.

He wasn't disappointed. Merle leaned his head in between the seats. "Just drive smart ass. These guys have scouts. They ain't stupid. They've been at this for a long time. What you need to do is take out the men they have on watch. You need to do this without one of them soundin' an alarm. I know you don't want her in the forefront cause you've done turned into some kind of goddamn freak but if they see her, they sure as hell ain't gonna shoot first. You need to let her go in ahead of you. These men like to keep women for a while so she won't be gunned down like you would."

"I ain't gonna send her out there for those fucks to get a hold of," Daryl growled.

"Daryl-"

"Don't fuckin' start, Carol." He felt his hands shaking at the thought of someone else touching her. She was his. Period. If somebody got too close he would chew their fucking throat out. Id someone dared to touch her he would rip them apart with his teeth. The thought actually had his blood thrumming faster and harder in his veins.

The car was quiet for a while and then finally Merle tapped him on the shoulder. "I'd park it here. You're gonna wanna hit the woods. Ain't no walkers for miles so that's one thing you won't have to worry about. I can't tell you exactly where the hell those scouts are gonna be but you'll have two miles at least to walk before you run up on anyone."

"Two miles, huh?" Daryl muttered, stepping out of the car. Why in the fuck did he feel so goddamn hot?

"Yeah. I think I'm gonna hang back for this one. Ain't shit I can do to help. You need me, one of you just say it."

Carol shook her head. "You're like a Genie. Or a fairy God brother."

"Watch it, woman," he muttered with a smirk before he vanished.

Daryl watched her shed the coat she had on. She had on a sweater underneath it and he was surprised when she stripped that off too, tying it loosely around her waist. That left her in nothing but a tank top. He wanted to shred it.

"I don't understand why I feel so hot. It isn't a fever. If it was a fever then I would feel cold. But I'm burning up."

He grabbed her hand and with nothing but her knife and the bow he had made, they trekked into the woods. It should have been too dark to see but that wasn't the case and he could tell by how sure footed she was that she wasn't having any trouble either.

He was having trouble of another sort, though. The further they walked the more he noticed things. Like how she wasn't wearing a bra under that thin tank top. How sharp her eyes were as she took in their surroundings. How easily she could glide through even treacherous land. Every move she made, sensuous and fluid. And she knew he was watching her. And the more he watched her the hungrier he got.

They were about to raid a camp of dangerous armed men with nothing but a knife and all he could think about was how badly he wanted her. It didn't make any sense. He could smell her own arousal too. It wrapped around her like a cloak. All of this he was trying desperately to ignore but then another scent was on the air, stopping him in his tracks. He reached out to stop her but she had already grown still. His nostrils flared and he felt anger cause his already erratic pulse to pound harder.

"Men," she whispered.

He narrowed his eyes. How in the fuck were they doing this? How were they picking up on other people's scents? And what did it matter? So what if there had been men here. So what if their scent still lingered on the air, acrid and offensive. They weren't close. He could even tell that much, but they were too close in his feverish mind. Too close to her. Because she was his and...

He gave up fighting it. The urge to stake a claim was too much. She was his but he hadn't done a fucking thing to claim her. He tore the leather jacket off, tossing it onto the ground and then grabbed her roughly, hauling her until she was against him.

"Thank God," she breathed before his lips crushed hers. She shoved his shirt over his head, her hands going straight for his belt while he was less patient, ripping her tank top right down the middle and wasting no time. He bit down onto the tender flesh of her breast. He heard her sharp intake of breath and then her hand was wrapping around his painfully hard shaft.

He growled and raised his head, meeting her frantic gaze, his fingers nearly ripping the button off of her jeans in his haste. She shimmied out of of them and then he had her on the ground, on her back. Her nails dug into the sides of his neck as he kissed her viciously, the pain only heightening his senses. She squirmed under him, making a frustrated sound in the back of her throat. In one smooth powerful thrust he was finally deep inside her, filling her, stretching her as electric heat enveloped him.

~H~

They moved together like this was the most normal thing in the world. His pace was punishing and she wanted more. She needed this like she needed air. She had never felt so much need in her life. Ever since that odd moment they shared in the living room, her body had felt like a furnace, burning with want like she had never experienced before. All she could think about was him. Dark thoughts flitted through her mind as his thrusts came harder and harder. His teeth sank into her, the pain mixing with the pleasure that seemed to reach heights that no human had ever gone too.

She wanted him to completely shatter her. She wanted him to make her his and he was more than equipped to oblige. She knew what he was doing. Deep down she knew. They had caught the scent of those men and now she was being claimed. He was drowning her in everything that he was him, like a primal warning to any other males. And it drove her mad, knowing he felt that pull maybe even more strongly than she did.

He caught her lip between his teeth and tugged but all she felt was a slight sting before her body jerked strangely and then she was arching into him, her back bowing as heat shot through her. His arm shot around her and he lifted her body so it was flush with his, kissing her so she couldn't cry out, drinking down the broken sounds that did escape her. With his arm still wrapped tightly around her he landed on his back with her on top but he didn't give her a chance to move. He gripped her hips painfully. She collapsed onto his chest, her body still trembling against him and then he started moving into her again, faster and harder than before.

A low rumbling sounded in his chest and she knew he was close. She bit into the side of his neck as hard as he had bitten her, a gasped, a growl, a few more powerful thrusts and then he was pulsing deep inside of her.

She pushed up, bracing her hands on his chest as his own hands slid from her hips, down her thighs, the only gentle touch she had received from him since they started tearing off each others clothes. She didn't mind though. She didn't need gentle. She didn't want it. She had needed this and amazingly, she wanted more. But there wasn't time for that.

"You feel better now?" She asked lightly.

He sat up, both arms going around her and his lips meeting hers before pulling back. He nodded, his eyes bright and full of... something she couldn't identify. Something that thrilled her. "Yeah. Lets go get those guns," he said with a brilliant grin.

He had destroyed her tank top so she had no choice but to wear the sweater. She felt better than she had earlier. She felt focused. When she met his eyes, that fire was still there inside her but it was low burning now. He looked different now. He looked... fierce. He almost reminded her of pictures she had seen of wolves hunting.

With nothing but their noses to guide them they began their own hunt. His hand gripped hers, pulling her closer as they walked silently towards, what had essentially became, their prey.

 ***response to guest reviewer***

 **I had a guest review that kind of got under my skin. I don't think it was an intentional thing. It wasn't a bad review but I feel like I needed to say something about it. To the reviewer, thank you for the encouraging words and all but I don't think for a second that I am any better than a lot of other writers on here. And I took offense to you saying that I am writing for a group of people that think they're better than me. I have nothing but respect and appreciation for anyone that reads anything that I post on here. I've never felt like my readers have ever been condescending in any way, until I got your review. Like I said, I appreciate the kind words but I don't think you have pegged me or my readers right. I don't feel like I'm wasting my time. I do this for fun, not fame. If I wanted fame I'd start sending in query letters. I just like to write and I like the people that I write for.**

 **Anyway, to the rest of you, as always, thank you for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hope everyone is having a good week! Thanks for reading! =) You guys are awesome!**

 **Chapter Seven**

He made sure he kept her next to him, his grip on her hand light. He didn't know what the hell that was back there but he was ready to do it again. He had completely lost control and deep down he had been terrified of hurting her or doing something that would make her not trust him anymore, but that didn't happen. He'd been a complete fucking asshole, taking what he wanted wordlessly and taking it in a brutal way. But he hadn't been able to stop.

And she hadn't wanted him to stop.

All these weeks he had maintained a certain distance from her because he knew that just under the surface, something predatory was simmering inside him. He had been scared of it. He had been scared of what he would do to her if she gave the slightest indication that she wanted him. It was why he had ignored Merle any time Merle would bring it up. It was why he didn't try to kiss her again. Not until tonight when she had tried to take his goddamn finger off.

Then again, the memory of her looking up at him from under her lashes, teeth gleaming in the lantern light as blood welled up from the bite had him growing uncomfortably hard. He shook his head like he could dislodge the thought. He couldn't go kill these guys with a hard on. It was fucking... weird.

"We're close," she whispered.

He glanced at her and nodded. "Yeah. Probably just one guy. I can take him out with the bow. We won't even have to get close."

She glanced at him then and for the first time he couldn't read the look on her face.

"What?" He asked, grabbing her arm and stopping her.

She looked over her shoulder. "Why do I want to get close? I want to take him out myself. That isn't right."

"No, it ain't right. But I feel the same way." It wasn't like there was a reason to lie to her. Whatever was wrong with him, she was suffering from the same thing.

"What's happened to us?" She asked quietly.

He shook his head. "No idea."

She met his eyes. "I want you again."

He already knew that because he could smell it on her. It was easier to ignore now though because she also smelled like him. In his twisted head, that was important. Another thing that registered was her bold statement didn't have the effect on him it would have had months ago. Months ago a statement like that would have left him blushing and tripping over his words. Now, it just made him want her again more than he already did. "No time for that," he muttered, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards him.

She grinned, her lips pressing against his firmly as her hand ran down the crotch of his pants, causing him to growl.

A strange thought flitted through his head then. One that should have instantly turned his blood cold and cause an icy fury inside of him. If she really wanted to get close, if she wanted to watch that man die, there was a way she could do that.

He shook his head and pushed her away lightly. "Let's get this done. We keep wastin' time." They made their way towards the man that the group had sent out to scout for trouble, keeping their eyes trained on the darkness surrounding them, trusting their senses to guide them.

Daryl was the first one to hear the sound of someone walking a few yards ahead of them. He stopped her, putting a finger to his lips even though he didn't need to. She was already squinting in the direction of the sound. Her hand slipped out of his and her eyes came up, wide and pleading.

He shook his head, his eyes hard even though he knew that she was thinking the same thing that he had been thinking. If she showed herself, one lone woman, then the man wouldn't dare kill her. Not until him and his friends had taken turns raping and torturing her. She could get close. She could distract the man.

He didn't have a chance to say anything about it at all. She reached up, her lips brushing his lightly before pulling away and stepping out from behind the trees they had ducked behind when they had heard the man. He clenched his jaw and was about to step out behind her but a heavy hand on his shoulder stopped him.

He jerked, the knife in his hand going up quickly, but the man that he came face to face with wasn't another scout. It was Merle. He glanced back when Carol cried out, his body tensing, ready to tear through the trees to get to her but Merle grabbed his hand and shook his head.

"She knows what she's doin' little brother. Don't fuck this up for her. For either of you. She needs this. Focus, boy. You can see what she's doin'. Think and then act. You wanna be the big dog, you gotta be smart."

Daryl felt himself grow very calm as he moved closer to the opening in the brush that Carol had slipped through. He willed his heart to steady and his eyes adjusted to the darkness extremely fast. He saw her stumble, the man turn, gun raised.

"Please, you have to help me," she cried and she was so convincing that he smiled slightly. This man was in for a real surprise. She was deadly but she didn't look the part. She was too slight. Too feminine to pose much of a threat to anyone. And she was completely unarmed.

"There any dead following you?" The man asked harshly, keeping the gun on her.

She shook her head, a sob causing her shoulders to shake. The man seemed pleased with the answer and lowered the weapon. He was big and grizzly with a messy beard and tattered clothing. But he didn't look like he was any worse for wear. He'd been properly fed.

The poor bastard didn't stand a chance.

~H~

Carol raised her head as the man approached her. His eyes raked over her hungrily and she had to bite back a hiss. He was a predator if she had ever seen one. She knew what these men did with women they found and she felt her gorge rise at the thought.

"You been bit?" He asked, gruffly.

She shook her head. "I've been running. I lost my group and I've been on my own," she said in a weak voice.

Carol had been bracing herself with her hands on her knees but when the man finally got close to her she stood up all the way. "Can you help me?" She asked, her voice breathless.

It was obvious that this man was dangerous. There was a glint in his eyes that had a small part of her wanting to back away. She stood her ground because that was a small part. A larger part kept urging her to hurt him.

She could only imagine the things this man had done to other women unlucky enough to stumble upon this group. Or women they took from other groups that weren't as strong as them. He grinned at her and shifted the gun that was strapped to his back. He didn't aim the gun at her but he held it in such a way that had her eyes going to the weapon. She looked up into his face, her eyes wide and frightened.

"I think I might need to look you over before I take you to camp," he said in a low voice.

She kept her eyes on his but she knew when Daryl silently stepped out of the trees behind the man. Her pulse quickened and her breathing changed, anticipation causing her blood to run hot.

The man must have thought the change in her was from fear because he leered at her. "How about you go ahead and take off your clothes so I can get a good long look. Make sure you ain't been bi-"

Daryl's arm snaked around so fast that Carol didn't even have time to back away from the spray of blood that was now gushing from the man's throat. Luckily the man's finger hadn't been on the trigger of the gun he was holding, not expecting Carol to be able to put up much of a fight.

The man dropped to his knees, clawing at his throat, the gun hanging loosely from the strap. Daryl grabbed his hair, jerking his head back roughly and angling her knife under his chin. After a few seconds he drove it in with a skilled upward motion and then shoved the stranger forward.

Her eyes came up to meet his as he stood over the man. Kneeling down she removed the gun. "I told you it would be easier if you just let me help," she said, her heart thundering in her chest.

He nodded, watching her as she stood up. His chest was heaving, his nostrils were flared. He was death himself standing before her and it thrilled her like nothing else had in her life. His gaze raked over her, like he needed to check her over to make sure she hadn't been touched. He didn't need to speak for her to know what he was saying. He stepped around the body and then looked down on it in disgust.

"You did good," he said in a low voice.

The corner of her mouth lifted and then she turned, heading further into the woods. He was beside her in seconds, his jaw tense as his eyes kept flicking from her to the terrain. They walked in silence for a while, wondering where the other scout would be.

 _"Stop!"_

Carol froze, mid stride, grabbing Daryl's arm hard. She saw that he had stopped as soon as she had, his head whipping to the side, just like hers had. He had heard it too. A dark figure the size of a man, stepped out of the trees. Daryl tensed, moving closer to her but whoever was there really didn't seem threatening. The man bent down slowly and Carol raised the gun, keeping it aimed at the newcomers head.

"He ain't got a smell," Daryl whispered, so low only she could hear.

Suddenly the man tossed something towards them. There was a loud snap and clang, causing Carol and Daryl both to jump back in surprise. The man gave a swift nod and like that he was gone.

"Bear trap?" Daryl muttered, kneeling down.

Carol could see it now. It was old and rusty but she was sure that it was put there recently, probably by the very men they were stalking. "But that wasn't Merle that pointed it out."

Daryl shook his head. "You see his face?"

"No but he just..."

"Vanished?"

She nodded, her eyes searching the woods. "Daryl, I don't think he even had a face." She didn't feel afraid. Just like she hadn't felt afraid when she was approaching that man. No, she only felt a sense of curiosity.

They stood there a few more seconds and then he started moving again. "I guess we got ourselves a little more help out here than we bargained for," he said softly.

~H~

Daryl had killed before. It was something that couldn't be avoided at times. They were at war. They had been at war since the very beginning and he was a part of a dying breed. A man that killed because he had to kill.

Or he had been.

He hadn't ever taken any joy or any satisfaction in killing before, even though he had done what he had to do at the time. But that wasn't the case now and it was starting to bother him. He had enjoyed killing that man and it was for more selfish reasons than just the satisfaction of ridding the new world of one more monster. It was more like, the man's presence alone had been an offense. It had been a silent challenge. And Daryl had proven to be the stronger man.

That was important. But why was that important? That didn't make any sense. He'd basically used his woman as a decoy, the man never even knowing he had been there. But that was part of it. The man should have known. You should always know, always be more aware of your surroundings. You should have enough cunning and have enough instinct to feel a predator at your back and if you didn't, you deserved whatever you got.

He felt smug about the kill. The thing that bothered him was that it didn't bother him at all. And it should have. Just a little. Shouldn't it?

He pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind as the scent of smoke hit his nose. He looked over at the same time Carol looked at him. She was grinning and he realized with a start that he was grinning right back.

This was dangerous. One of them could get hurt or worse but he wasn't worried and he knew that he should be. She was in even more danger than he was at the moment but you couldn't tell it by looking at her. He tore his gaze away from hers when something behind her caught his eye. It was just a blur of movement, low to the ground. It wasn't alone, whatever it was.

"What are they?" She asked, looking over her shoulder.

He shook his head. "I don't know."


	8. Chapter 8

**I am apologizing in advance. I absolutely loath this chapter but have tried to rewrite it over and over with no success. The next update for this won't take so long. Thank you for reading! It is much appreciated! =)**

 **Chapter Eight**

Carol watched as the figures moved around them. She waited for the fear to set in. She waited for the reality to finally cause some kind of reaction inside her but it didn't. Just like when she had seen Merle, her mind instantly accepted it for what it was. She didn't know what this meant. She only knew that this was how things were now.

"One of us woulda stepped right on that trap," Daryl said as they trekked through the woods.

She nodded. "Yeah."

"These things are here to help."

"It seems that way," she said as she watched them moving in front of their path.

"But why? It don't make no fuckin' sense," he muttered, more to himself than to her.

A laugh came unbidden. "None of this makes sense. Sometimes I think things just aren't suppose to. Or maybe it makes perfect sense. Maybe we're one of them and don't even know it. I've thought about it and it would explain a lot."

He stopped, gripping her arm and turning her roughly. The things around them stilled, like they were waiting. Silent smoke. "What the hell are you talkin' about?"

"Daryl, has it ever occurred to you that you weren't really able to pull me out of that ravine? That maybe I stayed dead and maybe... Maybe you died too?"

He shook his head but she saw the flash of fear in his eyes. "We ain't dead. We're as solid as we ever were."

"So is Merle, Daryl."

He growled. "My brother would have told me if I was dead. Besides, how the fuck did we just kill that man if we ain't even alive? How could we have... Done what we did back there?"

She shrugged and then pulled him along. "Okay, then what's your theory? And don't tell me we're crazy because we aren't. I don't believe that for a second."

He paused for a long time before glancing at her. "You ever heard anyone talk about how kids can see shit that grown ups can't see?" He asked, almost sounding embarrassed.

She nodded. "I've heard that."

He was quiet for a while. "Well, they say when a person gets older, they're taught to believe that shit ain't real. The monster under the bed. The goul in the closet. The ghost in the attic. They tell you that it's your imagination."

"So you think our minds are like those of children? We can see things because we believe they're there."

He shook his head. "Ain't much difference in childhood and insanity if you ask me. Anyway, they say animals are the same. They see shit that people can't see."

This peeked her interest. "Go on."

He huffed, trying to find the words to explain his theory on this madness. "Well, when you died, I snapped. I know I snapped. I fuckin' _felt_ it. That was when I saw Merle. But then you started slippin'. I could see it. I just didn't think it was as bad as mine. But maybe the crazy ain't crazy at all. Maybe we're just more in tune with the thing inside us that ain't all that human. Or at least ain't all that jaded. We're lettin' ourselves..."

"We're letting our more base instincts come to the surface, is that what you're saying?" She asked, intrigued by this idea. "Like, before we were letting our humanity stifle the animal inside and now that it's only me and you, the... beast has been unleashed?" She smiled.

He snorted, shaking his head. "Somethin' like that."

"So, you're sure we're still alive. You're sure we haven't lost our minds. You just think that the primal part of who we are has risen to the surface because in this world, it's all about survival."

He nodded. "That's what I think."

She nodded, amazed that he had thought of all of this. And here she had been thinking they were dead and in some kind of ghost world. "It's like we're trapped in some strange purgatory. We're in limbo. The living on one side and the dead on the other, and we have access to both," she said softly.

He nodded. "It makes sense. I mean, as much sense as any of this shit can make, right?"

She slipped her hand into his. "It does."

~H~

He was glad that she seemed to accept his strange theory on what had happened to them. He hadn't been too sure what her reaction would have been. He was so preoccupied this time that she was the first to realize that they were close. There was another man nearby. They both stopped and she looked up at him, her eyes bright.

"Your turn," she smiled.

He frowned, tilting his head. "What?"

"You get to play sexy decoy and I make the kill," she whispered.

He glanced around and then looked back down at her. "You ain't worried I'll get shot?"

She shook her head. "I'm not worried. I think if it was a bad idea, something would have warned us by now."

He glanced around at the smoke like figures that were gliding around them. "You're probably right."

She leaned in, her lips grazing his softly. "I'm right." She stepped away from him and then disappeared into the trees.

He didn't have any doubts about this. He knew men like the ones in this group. He'd been around men like this before the world turned. It was just one of the things you dealt with when you grew up on the wrong side of the tracks.

To his surprise the things that had been following them led him along the path, veering off once the man stepped into Daryl's view.

"Who the hell are you?" The man asked, sounding like he meant business.

"Got separated from my group a few days ago. You got any water?" Daryl asked, forcing his voice to sound weak and winded.

The man came closer and he looked a little like the one they had ran into before. He sized Daryl up. Daryl made a show of appearing weakened, leaning down with his hands on his knees like Carol had done when she had been talking to the other guy. The last thing he wanted to do was make this guy suspect he was some kind of threat.

"I asked you a question. Who the hell are you?" the man growled, aiming the gun right at Daryl's head.

Daryl looked up and then straightened raising his arms above his head to show the man he wasn't armed. He wasn't armed because Carol had the gun and the knife. "The name's Daryl," he muttered breathlessly. "I didn't know if I'd find anybody else alive," he made sure to keep his voice weak.

"You just keep those hands where I can see them, Mister," the man barked as he approached him. "You got any weapons?"

Daryl shook his head. "Just a knife in my pack."

The man lowered the gun and took a step closer before he grunted, his eyes widening. Daryl watched as the blade tore through his abdomen. Carol had stalked the man from behind, plunging the knife into his back. The man crumpled but wasn't dead yet. Maybe paralyzed, but still breathing. She dropped to her knees, straddling the mans back and then raised the knife high above her head before plunging it into the back of his.

Once the knife was back at her hip she stood up and took the gun, handing it to Daryl. He shouldered it and then pulled her into him. "That kill was a lot cleaner than mine," he said, his voice low as a fire burned in his veins.

She kissed him hard, her arms winding around his neck. When she pulled back enough to meet his eyes she grinned. "No one likes a braggart, Daryl."

He snorted and pushed her away because if he didn't push her away now he was going to start ripping her clothes off again. On the trail when they had been talking he had felt almost normal again but seeing her make a kill had his mind reverting back to that strange animal place. He didn't need to feel human out here. He needed to keep that animal close.

"The others aren't far," she said, looking past him.

He looked over his shoulder. The first thing he noticed was that there were fewer shadows swirling around them. He wasn't sure what that meant but it didn't matter. They had a lot more to do tonight and it was almost time to get to it. As silent as the things that led them they walked through the dense trees. They stopped when they could make out a fire in the distance.

"You gotta take out the other two scouts."

They both turned and were surprised to see a woman standing behind them that neither had ever met before. Daryl thought that at one time she could have been attractive but it was clear she had been through hell of one kind or another. Her clothes were dirty and torn and her hair was matted. It was hard to see much of her face under the filth that coated her and her eyes were sunken in, dark and haunted. She looked like a walking skeleton.

"Who the hell are you?" Daryl asked, wishing that Carol would get behind him but knowing to not even try.

The woman pointed to something behind them. "Keep walking. Circle around the camp and there are two more scouts pretty close by. You kill them and you only have to deal with the eight in camp and they're all sleeping."

"Sleeping?" Carol asked, doubt clear in her voice.

The woman nodded. "They're very sure of themselves. Just be careful. If they wake up and you end up getting taken..." The woman's voice trailed off and she shook her head. "Please don't let that happen."

The chill that ran down Daryl's spine felt like sleet at what this woman was implying. It reminded him of why he hadn't wanted to do this in the first place.

~H~

Carol could feel him tensing beside her as he mulled over the woman's words. This new Daryl was only afraid of one thing and that one thing was something happening to her. She knew it because that was her only fear. The fear of something happening to him. It was the only thing now that could fill her with dread. She was worried now. They couldn't turn around and she wasn't sure if that was what he was thinking about.

"We go take out the scouts and then we hit those men in their sleep. I don't mind fighting dirty if you don't," she said, gripping his arm.

He turned his head slowly, his eyes meeting hers and holding them for a long time. Finally, to her relief, he nodded slightly and pulled her along with him. The woman was already gone, vanishing like Merle was prone to doing.

She wasn't alive and they both had known it as soon as they found her standing there. There was a new urgency now as they silently stalked the scouts. Neither of them came into view of the men, choosing, instead, to hit them from behind. They attacked silently, taking out both men within a few minutes. This group was too arrogant for their own good. One man had actually been sitting on a log, flashlight in hand as he looked through a skin mag. Carol had his throat slit before the man even dropped the light. They watched him bleed out and then finished him off with a blade to the temple.

They stashed the two extra guns next to a tree close to the camp and just like the woman said, it looked deserted other than the tents set up around the low burning fire.

"You would think that at least one person would stay up in camp to keep an eye on things," Carol whispered close to his ear.

Daryl shook his head. "Too cocky for all that. These assholes think they can't be touched."

She eyed the tents until her gaze settled on the largest one. Maybe that one belonged to the ring leader of this disgusting group of men. She nudged him lightly. "We should save that one for last."

He eyed the tent and then the corners of his mouth turned up and he pulled her closer. "I ever tell you that I like the way you think?"

She smiled, letting herself breath him in for just a moment. "No, but I've always assumed."

He flashed her a grin and then the two of them stepped into the camp where the underbrush had been cleared away. Outside of the circular camp the black shadows writhed excitedly. Carol knew then what they were. These were the victims of the monsters that were now sleeping, oblivious to the fact that death was stalking them.


	9. Chapter 9

**One more chapter and this one will be complete! I'm getting there anyway. Thanks for reading!**

 **Chapter Nine**

They walked the perimeter of the camp, taking note of how close the tents were set up, alert for any sounds that would indicate someone was aware of their presence. A lot of the shadows were lingering around the larger tent, giving Daryl the impression that Carol had been right. Whoever was in there was the one leading this group and had probably killed and tortured the most people. Not that it mattered. They would all die regardless. Maybe the leader would die slower but there wouldn't be one person left when they were finished.

He didn't understand it. Even on the wrong side of evolution, he would never do the kind of things that he knew these men had done. He still felt that need to protect Carol, even though she didn't need it. The thought of hurting her made him sick. The agony that these men had put others through was unimaginable.

Her hand slipped into his and he looked over, meeting her eyes in the dying firelight. She nodded towards the tent that they were closest to. He could hear the man inside, snoring loudly. She bit her lip, her eyes widening, pleading. She slipped the knife from her hip and held his gaze. He knew what she wanted. She wanted to go in there and do it herself but how could he let her? What if something happened and the man woke up?

A strange coiling in his chest and a rough buzz in his ears had him shaking his head. He had slipped tonight. He had put her at risk just by letting her get her way. If she was going to go in there then okay, but he was going first. He wouldn't let her put herself in danger anymore tonight.

She frowned and glanced down at the tents opening. This one looked like an older tent that you could get at any Army Navy surplus store. Dull green canvas with an open flap. It would be so simple. Crawl inside, make the kill, crawl back out. "Daryl, it'll be quick," she barely whispered.

"It'll be quick, sure. Cause I'm gonna make it quick," he whispered back just as quietly.

Before she could say a word he crouched down and slipped into the sleeping man's tent. There were twelve men total and they had already killed four of them. That left eight to be taken care of now. He crept closer to the sleeping man until he was able to rise up and look down on him. He looked as rugged as the others, his unshaven face giving him a wild look but Daryl had to smile. Wild? Nah, this man wasn't anything wild. Cruel maybe. Evil, probably, but not wild.

Daryl felt his heartbeat pick up at the thought of ending the life of another monster. There was no joy to be had by killing walkers. They were just corpses anyway. No, _this_ was a monster. He pressed the tip of the knife right against the base of the man's throat, between his collar bones. The man's eyes flew open but he was so startled he didn't make a sound. A second later and he couldn't have if he'd tried. Daryl severed his vocal cords and clamped his hand over the man's mouth to keep any sounds he might make muted. The man struggled but Daryl was running on an adrenalin high that seemed to give him a little boost. He held the man down with one hand, the other stayed over his mouth. Hot blood was gushing from between his fingers as the man coughed. His frantic eyes stayed on Daryl's.

Eventually they grew dim. Once he was gone Daryl shoved the blade through one of his open eyes. He slipped back out of the tent silently. When he stood up he looked at where he had left Carol standing but she wasn't there. He spun around, taking in the rest of the camp as panic caused his heart to start pounding a strange rhythm. He was five seconds away from tearing the whole camp apart to look for her he when saw movement to his right and turned sharply. She crawled out of another tent and stood up, her eyes meeting his from across the fire. There was a challenge there.

She had blood splatter across her face and shirt and she was clutching her knife in a white knuckled grip. He wanted to drag her into the woods and scream at her for scaring the fuck out him like that. His hands were shaking with a combination of anger and fear. Why the hell couldn't she just goddamn listen to him?

He decided that there was no use in standing around. She was going to do what she wanted regardless of what he said. Sometimes he wondered if there was anything left of the meek woman he had met a lifetime ago. The victim. The silent watcher. He decided right then that there was nothing left of that woman. She was dead and buried in multiple graves. Ed's. Sophia's. Lizzie's. Mika's. Other losses that had taken bites out of the woman she had been until she had become this. Something new. Something better. Who the hell was he to tell her she couldn't do something?

Without a second glance at him she crept around the side of another tent and then slipped inside. He listened carefully but there was no sound. He went to another tent himself, taking the silence as a good sign. If the man had woken up there would be a commotion in the tent by now. He moved on to another tent and rid the world of another man the exact same way he had the first one. They had gone from twelve to six and now, as he crawled back out of the tent, leaving another dead man behind him, he saw Carol exit too. They both stood up. Closer now as they moved on to another tent. She smiled, wiped her cheek on the sleeve of her sweater, but it only smeared the blood that was there. She looked lethal even though she was grinning at him. _Especially_ because she was grinning at him.

Four more kills. All they had to do was make four more kills and it was over. The shadows that had accompanied them were fewer now. Most of them still lingering by the largest tent, seeming agitated with their jerky movements. They really wanted this man dead. He idly wondered what would become of his own ghost once it was over. Would those things drag him off? He'd seen a movie once where that had happened.

He had a strange feeling that all of this was too easy. They had never had a whole lot in the way of luck and he was starting to feel a heaviness inside his chest, like something was about to happen but he blew it off. Anyone would feel their nerves kick up in a situation like this. So he ignored that feeling, realizing that Carol was already inside the other tent. He slipped into the other one, this time not taking his time. This one didn't even see it coming. He hurriedly drove his knife into the eye socket, ending it faster than all the others.

Too easy. This was way too easy.

He was about to slip back out but he felt a pressure on his back. Even though he knew the man behind him was dead he still spun around. What he saw had him blinking in surprise. There was a girl there, eyes wide and frantic, shaking her head quickly and glancing towards the opening. She brought her finger to her lips.

She couldn't have been a day over eighteen and he already knew that she was dead. Another victim of these men. If she was here and she was telling him to be quiet it was because things were about to go south and he turned to scramble out of the tent but she gripped his shoulder harder than he thought possible. He winced and tried to jerk away from her but she held on.

He froze when he heard a man's voice from outside the tent.

"Wake up asshole," the man said in a loud deep voice. "Time to scout.

Daryl cursed and then brought the rifle around when he heard the man kick at another tent. From the sounds of it he was kicking the tent that Daryl had just came out of minutes ago. The man inside wasn't waking up and the guy would figure that out soon. The girl was still behind him and he glanced back at her.

"She'll be okay," the girl said in a hoarse voice.

 **~H~**

Carol didn't know what had gotten into her. Maybe it was because she knew what kind of monsters these men were. She knew what they had done, had been doing probably for a long time now, so their deaths _should_ be something to feel this good about. But it made her feel like she should feel at least a measure of remorse, regardless of who they were. They were still people and she was reveling in their deaths. Toying with them before killing them. Making a game of it.

"You're getting way too many kicks outta this."

She glanced over her shoulder just as she was about to slip out. Merle was sitting back on his haunches, his eyes on the body of the man she had just killed. He looked back up at her and arched a brow.

She rolled her eyes at him but then she stiffened when she heard one of the men speak from across the fire, on Daryl's side of the camp. She was about to take off but Merle gripped her hard and spun her around. She was on her knees in front of him.

He shook his head. "If he hauls ass out of that tent over there, he's a dead man. You gotta play this just right, you understand me?"

She nodded, stark fear for Daryl causing her senses to sharpen, making Merle's voice amplified in her ears.

Merle gave her a once over and then nearly made her cry out when he grabbed her sweater and tore it down the middle at least eight inches. He met her eyes. "These mother fuckers are like animals, you understand? Not like you and him. Worse."

She nodded mutely.

"Their heads ain't like yours. Ain't like my brother's. These mother fuckers are evil, were evil before the world ended and more evil now. If Daryl leaves that tent, they see a threat. They see you and they see a body to be used up and then disposed of. You get what I'm sayin' to you. They'll see somethin' weak and soft that they can take turns torturin' for as long as you keep breathin'. You're nothin' but a piece of meat. No threat."

She felt a quiet rage bloom inside of her at his words.

"Remember how you played that man in the woods? Well, you're gonna amp up your game darlin'. If you don't, they're gonna gun him down while you watch."

She looked down at her torn shirt, her heart racing. She looked back up just as Merle pressed his hand into the puddle of blood on the ground and then cupped her cheek, his hand sliding down her jaw, over her throat, smearing her with the other man's blood. When he reached the valley between her breasts he licked his lips and she slapped his hand away, a low growl escaping her.

He met her eyes and then grinned. "Can't blame a man for takin' some enjoyment out of this mess. Now crawl out there now. That guy is probably about to check and see why the fuck his friend ain't got up yet."

She nodded and made her way out of the tent, moving stiffly like she was in severe pain, forcing herself to whimper just loud enough for the man to hear. Hopefully, once he saw her, he would get tunnel vision. Hopefully he would think that his friend had stashed a woman away, not willing to share.

All she could do at this point was hope. Hope that their arrogance would be their worst enemy in this situation.

 **~H~**

"Remember, she's okay," the girl repeated and then she vanished like she'd never been there at all.

He eased the flap back and sure enough there was a man standing a few feet away, scratching his head and kneeling down in front of the other tent. That was when a sound from across the camp reached his ears and he watched in horror as Carol crawled out of the other tent. He could see that her sweater was torn down the middle, blood marred her face, neck and chest. He was two seconds away from grabbing the rifle and blowing the son of a bitch away but then suddenly, before the man even turned to look at her, she met his eyes from across the fire and flashed him a knowing smile.

He gaped at her and then ducked back slightly when the big man turned.

"What the..." the man muttered as he turned around sharply. Just then another man, the last of the group, crawled out of the largest tent. He was armed and he was fucking huge. The dark shapes that writhed around him were so agitated that Daryl could hear a strange electrical hiss coming from them now. Both men looked at each other, confusion clear on their faces and then the first man spoke. "That son of a bitch had a woman stashed!" He growled. "Keeping it for himself."

The use of the word it had Daryl clenching his teeth together. They were so far gone that women weren't even considered human anymore. Carol made a strangled sound and then collapsed, rolling onto her back. The men stepped closer to her and something inside of him tensed as they stalked closer to get a better look at her.

Daryl had a rifle of his own. More than one actually, and if he hurried he could take them both down from here but suddenly the bigger man, the obvious leader, reached down and pulled her up off the ground roughly. She cried out in pain and he could tell that she wasn't faking. The son of a bitch wasn't only touching her, he had hurt her.

He slid out of the tent silently, dark forms brushing so close that he could feel the chill, the electric charge that seemed to give them substance. Without a second thought he slid the rifle down his shoulder, leaving it next to the tent. He wouldn't need it. There was to great a chance that she would get hit by a stray bullet. He stayed to the shadows and watched the men, listened as they argued over who would have her first, so consumed with lust that neither seemed to even question the fact that none of the others had come out of their own tents.

They wanted her and given the chance they would take what they wanted. He heard a strange sound, dangerous and low and realized that it was coming from his own mouth, a low snarling growl that he shut off quickly. Knowing the things these men would do to her if they could he was suddenly more than happy to rid himself of the weapons. She was his. Only his. And these men would pay for what they thought they were going to do. Pay for thinking they could take what they wanted. And he wanted to feel it all in his hands. He wanted to watch the light fade from their eyes.

And he would. He'd taste their death right on his lips for what they wanted to do. He watched, his thoughts turning darker as the big man ran his hand up her side. His chest felt tight, his mind felt sharp, his senses on high alert. The man that he had been was nowhere to be found in the body that crouched tensely in the shadows. As the men continued to murmur about the things they would do to her, Daryl smiled. Smiled because she looked up then, her eyes boring into his, and then she winked.

His woman was going to tear one of these men apart. And he was going to join her.


	10. Chapter 10

**Warning- This chapter gets pretty gruesome!**

 **A lovely reader recently mentioned how interesting it would be to see these two crazy kids try to enter back into society. I hadn't really thought about that before. And then another one said the same thing and it got me thinking about it even harder. So, There will be a sequel. Not a huge long one but I've already got a lot of ideas. So, if you're interested then stay tuned, my friends! I'll get to work on it ASAP but want to have some chapters stocked before posting. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter! More AN at the end. Thanks so much for reading!**

 **Chapter Ten**

Within the chaos of her thoughts she still had the clarity of mind to let Daryl know that she was okay. He wouldn't hesitate to put himself in danger if he thought that the men were hurting her. Which the big one was because he had her gripped around the arms and she was off the ground, and it hurt, but it didn't hurt enough for Daryl to get killed.

She quickly looked into the face of the man that was now leering at her. His gun was strapped to his back but he wasn't holding it. The one behind her, however, she knew would have his at the ready if she tried something. The man grinned at her and then sat her back down on the ground.

"You ever take on two at once?" The big one growled into her ear right before he turned her to face the other man. She had been trying to block out the sickening things he had been saying to her but this penetrated that wall she had put up and she trembled. Not out of fear, but anger.

The other man grinned wickedly as he stepped closer. The big man was now pressing against her back and she could have sworn that she could feel Daryl's rage even from where she was standing. But the other man was still holding his rifle, even though he seemed distracted at the prospect of having a woman, of sharing a woman. She met the man's eyes and, for some reason, this must have upset him because he back handed her then. The big man behind her laughed, the sound vibrating against her back.

The man in front of her nodded. "Let's take her to your tent. More room."

Another laugh from the big man and then he jerked her hard, hauling her towards the biggest tent. She couldn't believe they weren't going to try to wake any of the other men. Or even thought to question why none of them had come out during all of that commotion. Then, right before she was shoved through the opening, she realized it was because they didn't care. None of these men cared about the other. So it didn't occur to them to even think to worry.

She was shoved hard onto the ground and they were both quick to follow. The big one dropped to his knees, turning her onto her back while the other one knelt by her head, his hand going to his belt. The other was struggling to tear her jeans down her legs but he hadn't bothered even undoing the button. Finally, giving up fighting with her jeans for a second he dropped his weight on her, leaning into her face.

"Take'em off, bitch," she snarled.

It was time to act now. If she didn't then something could happen before Daryl got there and she couldn't let them get away with actually doing something to her. She stole a glance at the man next to her and that was when he was suddenly shoved away from her, a blur of movement let her know that Daryl was there. She had to do something before the big man could get to his gun. He was smashing her into the ground and she couldn't take in a breath, but when his partner was sent flying his head shot up.

There wasn't anything that she wouldn't do to keep Daryl safe. No matter how messy and unappealing. So before the big man could make a move to push himself off of her, her teeth clamped down onto the center of his throat. Once her teeth were almost touching, she jerked, keeping her jaws clenched. She turned her head and spit. The man, stunned, came up on his knees, clutching the freely bleeding wound. She must have bitten off more than she thought because when he opened his mouth, a river of blood poured from between his lips, into his grizzled beard and down the front of his shirt.

She saw him reach for the gun but she was on him before his hand even grazed the weapon, shoving with all of her might, teeth snapping at his face like a wild animal and a growl more fit for a demon erupting from her. Actually, that was exactly what she felt like. Some otherworldly creature come to serve retribution for the things this monster had done.

A morbid vigilante.

He didn't get the gun because somehow, he was missing part of his cheek. He tried to scream but his ruined throat distorted the sound.

And Carol wasn't finished.

~H~

His blood seemed to be made of lava, molten, burning through him and igniting an almost terrifying rage inside of him. He couldn't stop hitting the man that was now pinned under him. It had been less than a minute since he'd lunged into the tent and already he had beaten the man so badly that one of his eyes was hanging loosely, and still Daryl hit him.

He spared a glance over his shoulder, knowing that Carol was fighting off the bigger man on her own but all he could see was the man on his back and Carol hovering over him. The man shoved her, made some sort of broken sound in his throat and then Carol was right back on him.

She had this.

He returned his attention back to the other bastard, who he was sure was dying. He was beyond damaged. Or so he thought. Suddenly the man's mouth opened, trying to form words but only sounds escaped his ruined lips. He shoved at Daryl's chest hard enough to let Daryl know that he wasn't as close to death as he had thought. Daryl, in the thralls of this hot anger, plunged his fingers into the man's good eye, jerked back so it was torn loose and then shoved the round fleshy mass into the bastards mouth. The man struggled but Daryl fought to keep the man's mouth shut and then suddenly the guy was choking.

Daryl let go then and pushed himself away from the blind man. The man clawed at his throat and then fell back onto his side, his body jerking and twitching in a strange way, probably from the head trauma, and he was still trying to suck in air. Daryl kicked the rifle into the far corner of the tent and turned, crouching just as the other man finally managed to push Carol to the ground. Daryl lunged before Carol could scramble back onto the guy.

His eyes assessed her quickly. She was bloody and she was panting, her eyes feverish, crazed as they met his.

"My kill," she said, her voice strangely level.

He looked back at the lumbering man that was getting to his knees, his hand still trying to stop the bleeding from a nasty wound to his throat. Daryl gave her a swift nod and then reached for the knife at his hip, sliding it out and handing it to her. He hadn't even had the sense to use it on the man he had tackled when he'd first came into the tent.

She took it, the corner of her mouth turning up as she regarded the weapon, and then she licked her lips. He found himself grinning, like it was a silly joke between a couple, forgetting to use weapons. Killing with hands and teeth. She offered him a slight nod.

He turned then, shifting so he was behind the man. He gripped the matted hair at the back of his head and then forced his head back, causing the man, who still seemed to be choking on his own blood, to expose his throat to her. He didn't really have much fight left in him.

Carol came up on her own knees, facing the man. In one swift upward motion she arched the blade, slicing into the man's jugular easily. Her eyes were wild and bright and Daryl couldn't look away from them. He also didn't let go of the man's head until he felt the life leave him. She jammed the blade through his temple and only then did Daryl let him crumple to the floor. He took the knife from her then, crawled towards the other man that had choked to death on his own eyeball, and probably succumbed to a massive brain injury, and did the same.

Pulling the blade away he stood up. She took his offered hand and they quickly stepped out of the tent. They were both breathing heavily. They stopped, both glancing around the silent camp. The shadows were only that, shadows. The things that had led them here were gone, leaving only a heavy and almost lonely silence. He looked her over, searching for injury but the blood that covered her made it too hard to tell.

"You alright?" he asked, his voice seeming too loud in the silence of the woods.

She nodded and looked down at the sweater. It was ruined, the man taking it upon himself to tear it the rest of the way down when he'd had her pinned to the ground. She pulled it off and used the back of it, which was clean of blood, to try to scrub her face but some of the blood was already drying. She sighed and looked up but he didn't meet her eyes. He was staring at her breasts.

But now wasn't the time for that.

He went to the edge of the camp and grabbed a canteen and stripped off his own shirt. His own hands were bloody but he went to work on her face, because the sight her with that much blood all over her had him feeling off. Like, there had been a real possibility there at the end that he could have lost her and now that it was all over he let that really sink in.

His hand stalled on her throat and her eyes came up, curious at first and then knowing. "I'm fine. Might have a bruise or two in the morning. That guy was big as a bull. But I'm fine."

Water trailed down her chest, carving a path through he gore there. His mouth was suddenly very dry but he didn't want to drink from the canteen. It had belonged to those men and the thought of putting his mouth on something they had touched made his gorge rise. Now that the blood was washed away from her face and neck he pulled her closer, her skin warm against his despite the cold. Visions of those men touching her were seared into his mind and that sense of possessiveness raised it's head again, causing him to tighten his hold. He kissed her then, the taste of blood in her mouth strangely arousing.

He'd known, before they had even taken her into the tent that the men had made a grave mistake. Not only because he would have torn them apart himself to protect her but because, in the end, she didn't need much protecting to begin with. He knew, had known since before they found the camp at all, that she would tear them apart if she needed to.

~H~

In the upstairs bathroom of the house she scrubbed her body as hard as she could. The blood didn't bother her so much. What bothered her was the stink of those men that had been pressed against her. She wanted no trace of them on her body.

They had taken down one of the smaller tents and rigged it so the two of them could pull their spoils through the woods and to the car they had left at the side of the road.

She poured out the water from the small metal tub she had been standing in and refilled in with fresh water that they had heated up. She scrubbed herself a third time.

Once she was sure that she was clean she brushed her teeth for a long time, scrubbing the taste of blood out of her mouth. She felt different now that they were back. In the woods she felt... free. Being inside the house, behind the boarded up windows and doors, she felt trapped. She didn't feel like they had enough room. She knew that it was all in her head but she couldn't help how she felt.

She wrapped the towel around her and grabbed the lantern, killing it before she went into the bedroom. It only took a few seconds for her eyes to adjust to the darkness in the room. He was there, stretched out on the bed. He was already clean because he hadn't had to get, well, messy. The weapon she'd had was her bare hands and her teeth and she'd been a disgusting mess when they had gotten back to the house.

"You feel better?" He asked, his eyes roaming over her.

She smiled slightly. "I feel cleaner. I wouldn't say I feel better."

"Me neither," he said, folding his arms behind his head.

She knew that he wasn't talking about what they had done to those men. He was talking about being in the house. She could feel it radiating off of him. He was feeling as caged in as she was. She went to the window and shoved it open, breathing deeply of the cold night air. She didn't hear him move but she felt him coming, smiling before his hands were on her hips. "I shouldn't want to be back out there, but I do."

He hummed in the back of his throat and she turned gripping the sides of his face and kissing him. As soon as her lips met his she felt better. Less trapped. More _alive_. His hand went to his belt but she gripped his wrist, stopping him.

"I think we should leave," she said quickly before he had her completely distracted. She wanted to talk about this now.

He couldn't be deterred. His lips skimming her throat and causing a low moan to escape her, even though she was trying hard to focus.

"What? Now?" He asked, pausing at her ear while he tugged the towel away from her body and tossed it into a corner.

She shook her head, closing her eyes when his hand slid up from her waist to her breast. "No. Not now. Oh God," she whimpered when his teeth grazed her earlobe and his hand squeezed firmly.

"You feel like bein' back out there, don't you?" He whispered.

She hummed and nodded, no longer able to form words at the moment.

"Dangerous out there," he muttered, walking her towards the bed.

She nodded again and then cried out in surprise when he turned her around, his arms going around her and his tongue licking a wet trail up the back of her neck. "It's dangerous everywhere," she breathed.

"Can't think of a goddamn thing out there more dangerous than you," he said, his lips on her shoulder and his hand moving lower, dipping between her legs and causing her to gasp.

She laughed softly, a sultry sound. "You don't have to sweet talk me, Dixon. I think you got me where you want me."

"Not yet," he growled and shoved her hard.

She landed on the bed and rolled just as he climbed over her. He flashed her a grin before his mouth came down on hers. She pushed him quickly, needing him to reassure her. Needing to hear him tell her that they didn't have to stay here anymore. "Daryl?" She asked breathlessly, her body aching in anticipation for what it knew was about to come.

He met her eyes and then nodded slightly. "We can leave out first light. We don't belong here."

She smiled and could have wept with the relief she felt. "We don't belong anywhere anymore," she said quietly.

He shook his head and kissed her again as he moved, pushing into her slowly this time. This was different. At the moment, the beasts that lived inside of them both were sleeping, sated.

For a while, the ghosts were quiet. For a while they both more closely resembled the people they had been before they briefly lost each other.

 **I know that I am leaving this with unanswered questions. I know that some of you want to know exactly what is happening, expecting a clean cut and dry explanation. But giving away all of the answers was never really my intentions. I wanted to keep some mystery to this one, sequel or no sequel. The point of the story was, devolution. They came out on the other side less human than they came in and that was my intentions. And I really hope that was okay. I had a lot of fun writing this and I hope that you had fun reading it! I am grateful for every one of you that did! Until next time, this is Haitus80, signing out! =)**


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